Prey
by SmilinForYa
Summary: Fate leads the willing and drags the reluctant.
1. Chapter 1

Zoey hated hunters.

Not only because they were always so hard to spot, since they were literally never _still_, but because they frightened her. She prided herself in finding no fear with any of the normal infected. She rarely got scared when a Smoker somehow got his tongue around her ankle, for someone in the group was always there to free her. The Boomer did make her nervous, only because he disgusted her so much since she's been thrown up on countless times before. And the witch was basically harmless unless you provoked her. All she had to do was turn off her flashlight and walk right back the crying witch and all would be safe. The tank was truly frightening, but they rarely came along.

But Hunters, on the other hand, did many things to Zoey. One, they pissed her off mainly because they always seemed to go after her. Maybe it was because she was the weakest of the group (though she tried not to be). She did play so many video games before the zombie infection spreaded, so she knew how to do many things, she just didn't have as much as experience as her teammates.

Her closest friend was Francis. He once told her that he had a whole shop full of Harley Davidson motorcycles since he owned it. He was a biker, but was a total sweetheart at that. Whenever Zoey got hurt, he'd always be the first one to help her out. It was weird—like they were friends or something.

And then there's Bill, who was a Vietnam Veteran back in the day. He was a tough guy, who had no mercy on the infected when he killed them. He said he liked doing this, almost like he was reliving his youth or something. He was slower than the others only because he was the oldest, but he had the best aiming and reaction timing.

Louis was a district account manager. He was the leader of the group, and always had a new idea to get somewhere. He was nice, and could run the fastest. Zoey barely talked to him, but she knew she could trust him with almost anything.

Back to Hunters.

They pissed her off. Whenever they pounced on her, they _always_ drew some blood and the group had to give up one of their health packs. Most of the time she saved hers, looking out for a possible Hunter attack.

And she would admit that she was scared of them.

They scared the shit out of her.

Whenever she heard the distant snarl of the Hunter, Zoey could feel fear dominating her senses. She hated that growl. She could never see the Hunter when he growled, but she knew he was around.

And then when she would least expect it, he'd pounce on her. And she'd scream and try to shoot at him, but he'd somehow rip the gun out of her hands. She's get cut in the torso (which was why she had to wear under armor. If not she'd be dead by now) and eventually someone would shoot him off of her.

Damn Hunters.

"A Hunter." Francis murmured as they all walked down a hallway of a building. Zoey froze when she heard that chilling, distant snarl that chilled her to the bone. She unconsciously moved closer to Francis, though she knew that was futile.

Bill glanced at Zoey. Everyone's thoughts were the same.

_'Be ready, Zoey.'_

But she never was.

No matter how hard she tried to stay calm and control her breathing, that damned snarl ripped through her senses and messed things up.

Another snarl came. Zoey's eyes widened as she sensed it _behind_ them. And just as she whirled around, her gun ready, something tackled her viciously onto the back. Her gun fell from her hand, her wind was knocked from her, and she hit her head pretty hard from the fall. A Hunter was looming above her, his hood covering half of his face and his claws ready for shredding.

She tried to scream but nothing came out. A shot rang through the air, and the hunter fell back, lifeless. Francis.

He helped her up. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She said shakily, trying to catch her breath.

"Why do they always go after you?" Francis wondered aloud.

Bill chuckled. "Maybe they find you attractive."

Zoey rolled her eyes. Bill rarely cracked a joke, and for that she was grateful. He had a dry humor, one that she just didn't get.

"Let's keep moving." Louis said, looking over at Zoey. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She picked up her gun, her hands still trembling. Damn Hunters.

They went down to the hallway and found a couple of normal infected. Zoey soon regained her composure after killing a few. Soon, they were in a safe house.

Zoey leaned into the wall while everyone else got ammo.

"Do you all want to rest," Louis said, "or keep going?"

Bill dramatically reloaded his gun. "I can keep going."

Francis shrugged. "I'm not tired yet."

They all looked at Zoey. She hid her exhaustion, picked up her gun which seemed heavier than usual, and said, "Keep moving."

She picked up another health pack and some ammo for her gun. Then everyone went out of the safe house to keep moving. There were immediately some infected, though no special infected.

Zoey shot a woman right in the head, and immediately shot a small child coming after her. She used to feel really bad for having to kill them, but she knew that the infection had taken them over though she always did seem them throw up to fight off the infection. It was too late. They were mindless zombies now.

"Boomer!" Bill shouted, just as he shot at the upcoming boomer. The boomer exploded, green blood splashing everywhere around him. The group made sure to go around the blood, the sickening smell of the boomer wavering around them.

And then a whole horde came.

Zoey never really liked hordes. She always seemed to lose sight of her teammates because of the crowd of zombies. But this time, she had a pipe bomb.

"Pipe bomb!" She announced, throwing it into the middle. Almost all of the zombies ran to it, screeching and snarling, and then it blew up, killing them all for good.

They moved into another building. It was silent. They walked into the building, which must've been some kind of department store, and they found more ammo on the front desk.

And then they all smelled the smoke.

The smoke of a Smoker.

It was raw and putrid. Zoey had to pull up her shirt to cover her nose, or she would get into a coughing fit. Even Bill's face crinkled up from the disgusting smell. And the smoke was everywhere, making everything look hazy.

"Damn Smoker." Bill grumbled, scanning the room with a scowl. "I think he's outside waiting for us."

Zoey silently agreed with him. Bill was a wise guy. And the Smoker's almost never went out into the open—they always stayed on roofs or hid behind trees since their tongue could latch someone from a great distance.

"I'll go get him." Zoey said, approaching the window. Francis joined her side silently, and she said nothing.

"Where is he?"

Zoey jumped when a snarl came from her right. A Hunter. She turned just in time to see him pounce at her, and the gun (once again) dropped to her side as he knocked her down.

She flailed helplessly, though she felt no claws digging into her skin. This time, however, she watched in shock as he stood over her, studying her face. And just as Francis aimed at the Hunter, Zoey felt the Hunter pick her up and carry her off.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Like it? Hate it? Let me know. This is my first story for Left For Dead, so go easy on me. I play this game all the time, and I love it. Let me know your thoughts! **

**And by the way, this story takes place in the FIRST Left For Dead. I've only played the second one twice so I'll stick to what I know. **

**:)SmilinForYa(: **


	2. Chapter 2

Zoey finally found her voice when the Hunter dropped her suddenly onto cold concrete.

"Guys!" She yelled, eyeing the Hunter cautiously as he crouched in front of her. She felt his eyes gaze at her beneath the hood, though she couldn't see them. She surveyed her surroundings to find that the Hunter carried her off into a eerie and narrow alleyway. A dumpster with blood steins was a few feet from them, and a car had crashed into the building next to it. She could smell the scent of blood, and flies were buzzing all in the trashcan. She really didn't want to know what was in the trashcan.

The Hunter let out a low growl, moving closer to her. Zoey held out her arms, to protect her face, and backed into the brick building behind her. She could hear off in the distance some zombies walking. But right now she had a _special_ zombie mere inches in front of her.

Her red hoodie was getting wet in the back from…blood? She gasped, and looked behind her to see she backed into a huge pool of blood into the wall. Now her back was covered in it.

Forgetting momentarily about the Hunter, Zoey flinched away from the wall, and as if it caught on fire, she threw the hoodie off of her. It was a good thing she always wore a white tank top underneath, or she'd be left in her bra. She made sure _not_ to back into the wall this time.

And then she remembered the Hunter.

He was still crouched in front of her. She looked at his covered face, briefly wondering what he looked like. And then she shivered. She didn't want to know.

…seconds passed. What the hell was he doing? Wasn't he going to kill her? Rip apart her stomach and devour her insides like all the other zombies? Why was he just…_staring_ at her?

Maybe he was just playing with her. Maybe this Hunter was more sadistic, and liked to play with his food. Her stomach dropped. She really hoped that wasn't it.

And then what he did shocked her.

He leaned forward, the smell of rotting flesh making Zoey's nose crinkle, and he nuzzled her. Her eyes widened. Was he really _nuzzling_ her? Maybe he liked the smell of her, because she swore she felt him sniff her neck.

…what the hell?

Without thinking, Zoey punched him good in the face. As the Hunter tumbled back from the sudden blow, Zoey got to her feet and began running blindly down the alleyway.

It was dark, so she shakily took out her flashlight so she could see. She wished she knew how far away she was from her friends. How far did the Hunter take her?

To her horror, she heard the Hunter let out a loud, echoing snarl. He was coming back for her.

Shit!

A door appeared to her right. Zoey raced inside, and slammed it shut. Thankfully it had a lock inside, but she was surrounded in darkness. Apparently this was some kind of holding room. She guided her way with the flashlight, and saw that she was in a tiny room with nothing in it. Good thing there were no zombies.

Still shaken from her encounter with the strange Hunter, Zoey sat against the wall, feeling a bit better that it wasn't full of blood. It felt different with just her tank top on—almost cold.

She jumped when she heard the Hunter's snarl from outside the door. He stopped, and all was silent. Was he going to break in? Zoey knew for a fact that zombies could break in through doors. That door was just a metal one—he'd have no problem getting in.

But then nothing happened. She eventually turned off her flashlight, feeling truly exhausted. Where were her friends? Did they think she was dead?

She pulled her knees under her chin, her entire frame shuddering in fear. She had never been _that_ close to a Hunter before without them attacking her. She still felt his eyes on her, staring at her closely.

All was silent.

She did hear some occasional moans of zombies on the outside, but she didn't hear anything else from the Hunter.

She tried to remember where the Hunter took her. She knew they were in some kind of store—a department store. But she didn't remember what it looked like. All she remembered was that there were two windows, and then the Hunter leaped on her.

She sent her flashlight around the room. She needed a weapon now. Without one, she was as helpless as anything. And she definitely didn't like feeling helpless.

But there was nothing in the room but four white walls and a door.

She curled her hand into a fist. She couldn't just stay in there, and die of starvation or thirst. She had to go out and find her friends. She could use her arms to fight, right? Her punch was mighty as any guys.

Of course her knuckle was pounding from the punch she gave that Hunter. That was the hardest she had ever punched. And it worked. She commended herself on that.

But could she keep it up? She could break her knuckle by punching like that over and over.

_Would I rather break my knuckle or wait here to die? _

She stood up slowly. It was decided. She had to go back out. Maybe the Hunter forgot about her and left. She took a deep breath, feeling a little more alert than before, and laid her hand on the knob. There was silence outside the door.

She opened it.

Nothing but the alleyway.

Hesitantly, Zoey stepped outside. She checked both ways of the alleyway and saw no Hunter.

Feeling slightly more confident, Zoey began making her way down the alleyway. She didn't know which way to go, so she just decided this would do. She was always watching out for zombies, since she knew she would surely die if she ran into a group. There was no way she could take them by herself with no weapons.

Then again…she took out her flashlight. Maybe this could be a weapon. She could hit them in the head with it.

It would have to do.

So she held the flashlight tightly in her hand, keeping an extra eye open for anything that moved. Nothing really caught her attention, so she began jogging leisurely to wake up her legs. It felt good. She didn't feel so cold now.

And then something made her come to a stop.

The Hunter's snarl.

Right behind her.

Slowly, Zoey turned around. There was the Hunter, standing to his full height (which was a head taller than Zoey) and he was staring at her. She held out her flashlight in what she hoped would look intimidating, even though her hands were shaking violently. She was prepared to swing if he even thought about lunging at her.

And just as she stared at him, she was swept off her feet. A Smoker's tongue found its way around her ankle, and she was being dragged up the brick building. She hit her chin painfully a few times, and her nose began bleeding from the violent collisions.

And then she was dangling on the building, looking at the feet of the Smoker. The Smoker was a tall fellow with stocky features. She swatted out her flashlight, trying to hit him, but she started to cough when the smoke clouded her nostrils. And then it was harder to see.

She heard the familiar sound of the Hunter. And then the Smoker threw her onto the roof, and she was rolling away, blood trailing behind her from her nosebleed. She could hear some kind of fight going on, though she never had seen zombies fight before. So when she looked up and saw the Hunter on top of the Smoker, ripping him open, she was pretty surprised.

What the hell was going on?

She wiped at her nose, feeling more blood gush out. She hit it pretty hard, and was lucky she didn't break it.

Smoke exploded around them when the Smoker had fallen still. Zoey coughed some more, covering her mouth with her blood-soaked hand. She gave up on trying to stop her nosebleed, it was inevitable.

Something fell on her. Something soft and warm.

Her hoodie?

Confused, Zoey looked up to see the Hunter looming over her. He was in a low crouch, but she felt his eyes on her again.

Did he just give her back her jacket?

She covered herself up with it, savoring the sudden warmth. By now her nose was beginning to loosen up its bleeding, which was good. Having a bleeding nose around tons of zombies sure wouldn't be good.

Remembering the Hunter, Zoey looked up, confused as ever. Why did he save her? Did he want to have her for himself?

She prepared to fight back if he even moved. She tightened her hands into tough fists, pursing her lips as she studied him closely.

"Stop playing games," Zoey said lowly, "and get on with it. Do what you want. I'll fight, but…I can't promise you anything. I don't know what it is that you want. I know you want to…eat me. So do it already!"

He tilted his head. Zoey closed her eyes shut when she saw a movement, and she waited for her skin to be torn apart.

But…she felt something touch her sore nose.

Her eyes opened to see the Hunter touching her nose with his claw in what seemed like a gentle manner. What the hell was he doing? It looked like he was inspecting her wound, as if he wanted to help her.

This wasn't possible. There had to be something wrong.

"What are you doing?" She murmured, allowing him to touch her nose. He drew his claw back, which had a bit of her blood, and watched him stare down at it. She was starting to get nervous. What the hell did he want with her?

And then she heard a voice that calmed her instantly. Francis.

"Zoey!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Wow! I wasn't expecting all the reviews. Thank you all so much. I read every single one of them. Please forgive me if I didn't reply in a PM, I promise I'll do it this time :3 **

**And I know these chapters aren't long, but I'm trying to set the story up, you know? They'll get longer, trust me. I'm used to writing longer chapters. **

**Anyway, thank you all again! I hoped you all liked this chapter! **

**:)SmilinForYa(:**


	3. Chapter 3

Francis aimed his gun at the Hunter. Bill stood beside him, a cigar in his mouth calmly looking over the situation. Louis looked pretty shocked, and he was trying to reload his gun.

"Are you hurt?" Louis asked. He must've seen the blood on Zoey's face.

"I'm fine." She called back, noticing that the Hunter was looking over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," She murmured, knowing it was the _smart_ thing to do, so she acted. She kicked out hard into the Hunter, knocking him back. Just as Francis was about to shoot, however, she stood over the Hunter. "Don't shoot him."

"What?" Francis hesitated, seeing that Zoey was in the way. "Why the hell not?"

"Just…don't." She looked back down at the Hunter. He let out a feral growl, so she jogged next to her friends. She felt much more at ease now with them—sweeping a calming wave over her nerves. The Hunter stood up, the hood still covering half his face. He faced them all, bearing out his sharp and jagged claws.

Is he going to attack?

Zoey watched him closely. Never had she seen a special infected zombie act like this before. It was weird. Too weird. She couldn't figure out anything anymore. Nothing made sense.

First he dragged her off. And then she ran away, and he _followed_ her. She ran away again, and was caught by a Smoker, and the Hunter _defended_ her. What the hell was going on? She didn't get it. At first she thought he was playing games with her, but now she wasn't so sure.

She shook her head. This world didn't make sense anymore. Sense no longer existed. Everyone swore zombies were fake before this all happened—and now they're overpopulating the world! She just had to stick to the hardcore solid facts:

Zombies were _bad_. They were out to get you. None of them had any compassion or sense. That was all destroyed.

Hell, she barely had any of that left. Why would a zombie of all things have it?

"Why isn't he attacking?" Bill snapped, obviously confused as well as everyone else. The Hunter continued to stand there, just gazing at them.

"No matter," Francis grumbled, raising his gun, "I'll finish him off."

And for some odd, unexplainable reason, Zoey immediately objected. "Don't shoot him!"

"Why not?" Francis shot her a bewildered look.

"Just don't."

"What if he attacks us by surprise?" Bill asked. "Then we're dead just because you want to save the _zombie_ that carried you off."

Zoey sighed. "Let's move on. Just let him go."

"I don't know what's happened." Louis said, scanning Zoey's face. "Did he hurt you?"

"No."

"What the hell did he do then?"

She shrugged. "He just…carried me off. I ran away…and got caught by a Smoker and he killed the Smoker."

"He killed the Smoker?" Francis repeated.

"I've never seen a zombie kill another one." Bill admitted.

"This is too weird for me." Louis decided. "I just don't get it."

"Me neither." Zoey whispered, looking back over at the Hunter. However, he was gone. Not a trace left of him. How did he leave without them even noticing?

"He's gone." Francis said, lowering his gun.

They immediately were alert when a loud siren went off, and they all knew what that meant. A zombie horde.

"I have no gun!" Zoey exclaimed in horror.

"Here." Francis tossed a pistol to her. "That's all I got. I had two of them before but lost one."

"Thanks." It felt good to hold a gun again—no matter how weird that sounded.

The horde came full force. They were surrounded by zombie after zombie, but they survived pretty well. Nobody was hurt. Zoey, panting from the adrenaline pumping through her, reloaded her pistol. She felt like she had some control—if anything again.

"Shoot." She said, realizing something. "I dropped my flashlight somewhere. Probably when the Smoker took me."

"We don't have anymore." Louis said. "You'll just have to stay close to us if it gets dark."

"Alright."

They moved on. Zoey couldn't help but keep her eyes open for that one Hunter. Where did he go? He just left them there?

"That one was odd." Francis said, referring to the Hunter Zoey was taken by. "Very strange."

She couldn't agree more.

* * *

><p>"Let's get some rest." Zoey sighed in sweet relief when Louis suggested some rest once they made it to a safe house. She fell to the ground, feeling sweat glisten on her forehead. Shakily she removed her jacket. The room wasn't air conditioned, since there rarely was any building that had that now. Most of the electricity was shut down, but not all of it. Just a little. It was sticky and hot in here, and Zoey felt disgusting all sweaty from running nonstop and shooting.<p>

"A shower sounds good right now." Zoey mumbled, freeing her hair from her hair tie. She put the tie around her wrist so she wouldn't lose it, and her brown hair fell to cascade down to her shoulders. It got longer and she hadn't noticed until now. Before all this, her hair used to be much shorter, only to her chin. Now it was going a little past her shoulders.

"I need to shave." Francis added, rubbing his thicker facial hair. "I like my facial hair; I just don't want a beard."

"Tomorrow we'll keep going." Louis said, sitting against the far wall. He was breathing heavily, too. "Tonight we'll get some rest."

Zoey looked out the safe door. It was dark outside, and she was thankful that the room they were in had lights above them, even though they flickered often. She really didn't want to sleep in complete darkness while zombies roamed around outside. That was disturbing enough.

She put down her jacket as a pillow, and laid her head on it, lying on her back. She stared up at the ceiling. The nights were the worst here, because you always thought back to your life before this all happened.

She could remember everything. Every single detail, almost like a film rolling in her mind.

_"Did you skip class again?" Her mother asked, her voice sharp through the phone._

_Zoey winced, glancing back at the TV screen with the title "Night of the Living Dead". "I'm researching."_

_"Researching? How is staying up all night watching those terrible horror movies researching?"_

_"Remember, I'm here to become a filmmaker." Zoey said, eager to get to watch the movie. "This is what I research. I'm uh trying to see the different techniques in the movie."_

_"What movie?"_

_"Night of the Living Dead."_

_"God damn your father for introducing those to you!" Her mother snapped, fed up. "If he had never showed you those pointless movies, you'd be studying much more often."_

_"Fine. I'll go to class."_

_"I'm sorry for bothering you, honey, but I just don't want you to waste your money by not getting good grades."_

_"I know."_

_"Please study, and get as much rest as you can."_

_Zoey hung up, immediately returning to her movie. It was a very bad habit to stay up almost all night watching these old films, but she's always liked them. When she was just a child, her father showed her this very movie. She loved watching it. She got a certain thrill of it. Hell, she was positive that if a zombie attack came, she'd be able to survive. She knew all the skills, and it did help that her father used to take her to practice shooting when she was younger. He was a police officer._

_Her dorm room was tiny, with a little place for a TV, a very tiny kitchen, and she had a little bed in a room off to the side. She liked it though. It was livable, and she really just liked it. She wasn't a complex kind of girl, she was simpler._

_Her mother didn't mind her going off to college to become a filmmaker. But her dad did._

Zoey sighed, wiping at her wet eyes. She hated nights. It was never easy to sleep because you had all those damned memories locked inside of you, and they seemed to haunt you every moment you were still alive, almost like they were constantly trying to remind you of how different the world was now than it used to be. She remembered seeing people walk down the streets, going to the mall, being able to sleep in her own bed or play some video games. Now, she'd never be able to do that. Never again. It was gone.

She tried to never forget her mother. She never really got to say goodbye to her. She just wished that this was all a nightmare. Sure she liked watching movies with zombies, she never got scared of them, but this was like living in a constant nightmare. You never woke up.

And it all came out of nowhere. No warning, and no signs. Nothing. It just swept through, took more than half of the human population, and everything was turned upside down.

Zoey turned to the wall so nobody would see the tears falling down her cheeks. There were many nights, in the beginning when she first joined her friends that she cried herself to sleep. Now she had gotten tougher, and couldn't cry anymore. Maybe it was because she tried her best not to think back to remember the happy times. But she couldn't just _forget_ them either. That would be impossible.

Eventually, after weeping silently, Zoey found herself asleep.

* * *

><p><em>"It was your fault," Carolyn shouted, "that she joined this. Your fault. You're the one who showed her those awful movies."<em>

_Wade shouted back, "I didn't know she'd become obsessed with them!"_

_"They're terrible movies! A disgrace to the dead, saying they'll come back. The dead are meant to rest."_

_Wade rubbed his temples. "Look, she can always join the police force. She has the aim and accuracy to do that—I taught her myself. So if she fails her first semester, then she'll have a backup plan."_

_Zoey sat awkwardly on the couch in her dorm, her parents getting into a heated argument right in front of her. She felt guilty since she was the one who had caused it all. But why did they care? It was her life now—not theirs._

_"We paid thousands of dollars for this! We can't let her just throw it all away. She's our daughter, Wade. We need to teach her the value of money."_

_"Then she can get a job."_

_"What kind of job, huh? Working at Blockbuster in the horror section?"_

_"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Carolyn." Wade hissed, pointing his finger at her. "Don't you dare."_

_"Don't you tell me what to do! I love my daughter and I want to teach her the right way to live. She can't continue living in this fantasy world full of zombies. Zombies aren't even real."_

_Zoey wanted to go into the conversation, but then she decided that this was their argument—not hers. She had no say. All she could do was be a spectator and watch._

_And then something moaned._

_"What the hell?" Wade said, looking over to see what looked like a walking dead corpse._

_Zoey stared at it in shock. Was it a…zombie? It sure looked like one. He was missing an eyeball, and his skin was a sickly color. Blood pooled down from his open mouth, and he was going at Zoey's mother._

_Carolyn was too stunned to react. She cried out however when the zombie grabbed her and bit into her shoulder blade. That's when everyone reacted._

_Wade grabbed a nearby lamp post and stabbed the zombie in the chest. The entire thing went right through. The zombie dropped to the floor, its lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. Wade crouched next to Carolyn, taking off his shirt to stop the bleeding._

_Zoey heard herself crying. Seeing her mother like this was absolutely terrifying._

_"Call an ambulance!" Wade commanded._

_In a shocked daze, Zoey hurried out of the room into her dorm hallway. Everything was empty. She saw on the walls streaks of blood, and had to walk over a torn arm._

_It was like walking into a video game. But this was real._

_She then realized that she had a cell phone. She took it out to dial the number, but found that she had no service. The lights flickered, threatening to turn off._

_She let out a scream when something grabbed her from behind. She whirled around to see a crazed woman with blood all over her dress, and rotting skin. Another zombie?_

_The woman was just about to bite Zoey when Zoey whipped out her pistol and shot her right in the face. Blood splattered everywhere. Zoey was covered in it. She let out a sob, too scared to even think properly._

_Dad, she thought, I need Dad._

_She ran back to the room just in time to see her mother maul her father. Wade was on his back, his eyes wide in silent horror, with Carolyn eating his intestines greedily._

_Zoey stared in shock. This couldn't be happening. Her mother wasn't a zombie—and she wasn't eating her dad. This couldn't be happening._

_And then her mother looked up, with some kind of intestine hanging from her mouth. Blood was everywhere. Zoey aimed with her pistol, just as her own mother lunged at her, and a shot rang throughout the dorm room._

_Her mother fell to her feet, lifeless._

_"Zoey," Wade said, trembling violently. Zoey forced herself to go to her father, her shoes getting dirty with blood. How was he still alive?_

_"That thing," He said, "bit you mother and she turned into a zombie. That can happen to me, too. So I want you to shoot me right in the head."_

_It was like Return of the Night of The Living Dead—if you got bit by them, you could turn into them._

_"No," Zoey whispered, trying to calm down. She could feel herself going into a shock. This was all too fast._

_"Please." Wade begged, coughing. Some of his intestines fell out. Zoey gagged at the sight of it. The pain. The horror. The blood. Everything._

_"This can't be happening."_

_"Damn it, Zoey. Do it!" Wade said as loudly as he can. "And once you do it, get out of here. Run and don't look back." He paused. "I don't want to become one of those."_

_Zoey shakily raised her pistal, aimed it at her father's head, and whispered, "I love you, Dad."_

_And then she shot him._

* * *

><p>Zoey woke up to find Bill shaking her shoulders. He looked older than usual, and very tired.<p>

"Zoe?" He asked, looking her over. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her eyes, feeling that they were wet. She must've been crying.

"You were having some kind of nightmare. I woke up to see you crying in your sleep." Bill told her gently.

"Sorry. I haven't had that dream in a long time." Zoey mumbled, still half asleep. The dream was still fresh in her mind.

Bill patted her shoulder. "Well, we're the first ones up."

Zoey nodded. She knew he was trying to change the subject so she'd forget about the dream. She was grateful for that. "Yeah."

"I remember in Vietnam," Bill started, "it was like this. You always slept with one eye open. The enemy could be watching you at the very second in a nearby bush. You could be sleeping right on a grenade in the ground. It was terrifying. This time reminds me of that. I don't particularly like it, but it does make me feel young again."

Zoey yawned. "I just wish this had never happened."

"We all do." He gazed back at Zoey. "If you're smart, you'd get some more rest. I have a feeling today's going to be a long one."

Zoey lay back down. "Okay. What're you going to do?"

"I don't know yet."

Zoey closed her eyes just as she heard a distant growl of a Hunter. However, this time, she didn't feel afraid.

She didn't know what exactly she felt, but it did remind her a bit of being human again. And it was nice.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**This was a long chapter. I had to put some little flashbacks into Zoey's life to kind of develop her character. Sorry if this chapter was a bit dull, it'll get interesting, I promise! **

**And thank you all again for the reviews. I have a bit more time so here's a special shout out to my beautiful reviewers: **

al28894: Thank you so much! I've read plenty like that, but I decided to give it a try. I'm glad you like it!

xXx Tinkies xXx: I hope I updated fast enough for you :p You're absolutely fabulous!

Erin: Aw thank you! Wow I like that suggestion :o how come I never thought of that! I might do that once I develop Zoey's character a bit more ;D

Tender Loving Care: Thank you so much! Your review made me laugh :3 I like laughing.

Dr. Edward Richtofen: -le gasp- my story is... EXCEPTIONAL? You have official made my day! thanks a bunch!

**So there's a big thank you to all the wonderful people who review. You make my day. **

**The next chapter shall be out shortly. **

**:)SmilinForYa(: **


	4. Chapter 4

Zoey always felt nervous when she was about to leave a safe house. She always felt the cursed feeling dwell in her stomach. It was inevitable; it always found its way to her, one way or the other.

Like normal, Zoey went for the assault rifle. She liked it. She liked the name, the power yet quickness of the shooting, and how it wasn't heavy like most of the other guns. She hated having to struggle to aim with guns, though she had some pretty good arm muscle and didn't have to struggle much. But she was nothing compared to Bill, who could hold the pump shotgun as if it was a pistol.

"Reload one more time," Louis said, "before we head out."

"You ready?" Bill asked Zoey quietly. She glanced up, not knowing he was staring at her the entire time.

"Of course." She grinned. "When am I not ready to kick some zombie ass?"

She also prided herself with being the youngest one in the group. That meant that she was able to say careless things like that. Bill was an exception since, well, he was Bill. He was pretty wild when it came to killing zombies. Francis just got the job done, and Louis would rather run than shoot any time. Zoey loved getting some action, as long as it didn't involve Hunters or Tanks. She hated those. Yesterday wasn't her day. That was one of the few times she had felt afraid of the undead walking freely. But now it was time to get back to business.

"Oh how I wish I was young again." Bill chuckled, putting a cigar in his mouth. "You don't know how lucky you are."

"Here's a health pack." Francis pointed to two extra health packs lying on the table. Everyone else but Zoey had one, so she took one without hesitation. It'll probably come in handy.

"Everyone ready?" Louis asked.

"Let's roll." Bill said gruffly.

"Ready." Francis added, making sure his auto shotgun was in good shape.

Zoey, satisfied with her weapon, said, "Let's go."

Louis opened the safe door, revealing another eerie alleyway. They all walked outside cautiously, checking both sides. There were no zombies. Yet.

"Which way should we go?" Francis whispered, reading everyone's mind.

"Left." Louis replied. "That should lead to the outside of the town. The inside of it will probably be full of those things."

Zoey held her gun ready. She watched everything carefully. After the run-in with the Hunter and Smoker yesterday, she double-checked everything. She didn't want to have that happen again—that would be embarrassing.

The group went to the left. Francis stayed in the back to watch behind them, Bill was always looking on the rooftops for Smokers, and Louis stayed in the front to make sure everything was safe. Zoey was just kind of stuck in the middle, hoping for the best, though she wouldn't mind going on a killing spree. It was almost like living her college years, except this wasn't a video game—this was reality.

"Smoker!" Bill shouted after he shot. Smoke exploded everywhere, making Zoey cough into her hand. Francis scrunched up his face.

"I hate the smell of smoke."

"I like the smell of smoke." Bill said, disgusted. "But not that smoke. That's disgusting."

"Let's keep moving." Louis urged. They all continued to the left. Zoey could see an area full of green grass in front of them, the road beneath them ending. Maybe that was the outside of town.

"We'll go around this town and see where the next safe house is." Louis said after awhile. The grass was still wet from fresh dew. Zoey took a moment to look at the grass. It's been so long since she's seen fresh grass. People don't really mow their lawns anymore since they're either dead or a zombie.

Suddenly the ground started shaking. Zoey's eyes widened in realization.

"Shit! A Tank!"

As if on cue, a loud, rumbling growl rang out through the atmosphere. The group turned around to see a Tank approaching them, his large figure even big off in the distance.

"Shit!" Francis said, holding up his gun. "I wasn't ready for that."

"Shoot him!" Louis shouted. They all began shooting the Tank from a distance. "Once he comes into close rang he'll end up mauling one of us."

Zoey knew that was true. When you were cornered by a Tank you might as well write a will or say a prayer. There was no escaping one, or defeating one in hand-to-hand combat.

"Watch out!" Bill shouted as the Tank picked up a nearby car. Everyone split up once he threw the vehicle, smashing the ground they were previously standing on.

"Reload!" Louis said urgently, reloading his gun.

Bill was shooting with no mercy. He was a fast at reloading his gun, and fast at shooting. Francis was trying his best to shoot the Tank, which was good. Zoey was shooting the Tank; losing ammo quickly with the gun's fast shooting. But she didn't hesitate. The Tank was a dangerous foe, and you didn't mess around when encountering one.

The ground below them was really shaking how. It felt like an earthquake. Zoey soon found it hard to keep herself balanced with the violent shaking. The Tank was still coming right at them. He let out another roar, stopping to pick something else up. It was a brick wall that lay off to lean on the side of a building. He threw it at Bill and Louis, who had to practically dive out of the way to avoid getting smashed.

Finally, the Tank fell back and went still. Everyone was panting, and Bill had lost his cigar.

"I hate those damned things." Bill grumbled, taking off his hat for a moment to shake his head.

Francis reloaded his gun. "Me, too."

"They're dangerous." Louis said. "We're lucky we didn't have a horde coming while he was here."

Zoey shuddered from the thought. A horde enough was hard to survive. Imagine having to deal with a Tank _and_ a horde.

She hated Tanks.

Everyone started moving again. They met a few zombies here and there, though nothing big that took some real effort. Sometimes a random zombie would pop out of nowhere and frighten someone—mostly Bill—but they were quickly taken care of.

Zoey decided this was a good day. Nothing big happening—all just the minimal stuff going on. Well, except for the Tank from earlier.

The only bad thing was that she was running out of ammo very quickly. She hated relying on the pistol, for those were only good for awhile. If or when she ran out of ammo for a gun—not pistol—she would just start hitting zombies with the gun. That was more helpful than using just the pistol.

But it didn't matter. The day seemed like it was going to be a boring one, so she had nothing to worry about.

They came to a dead end where the only place they could go was into a building off to their right. Louis hesitated and said, "I wanted to avoid going into buildings as much as possible. I never know what's in them."

"I know what you mean." Francis agreed. "Behind a door could be a Boomer."

Zoey remembered that. Once again she was the victim—the prey. She had opened a door, thinking that the room would have something helpful like ammunition or health packs, but there was a Boomer waiting for her. And right when she opened the door, well, she was full of Boomer Bile. So now when she was about to open random doors, she'd make sure nothing was inside waiting for her by keeping her ears open. You never know what's behind that door.

They went into the building with a lot of caution. They practically checked every single corner for something to jump out at them.

And then the siren went off.

That signaled a horde.

"Shit," Francis swore under his breath, reloading quickly. Zoey gulped to herself. She barely had any bullets left. She couldn't even reload. This wasn't looking good.

The horde came from everywhere.

Everyone just started shooting. Zombies fell by threes to the side, but more came. They kept on coming. A few times Zoey had to back up for a zombie had gotten really close for her comfort and safety. Sadly it got to the point where everyone was backed as far as they could go—their backs were pressed to each other.

"They just keep coming!" Bill shouted in aggravation, shooting a man in the head. Blood went everywhere as the zombie fell.

Zoey knew she was filthy with blood. Before the zombies all came, blood meant nothing but disease. Now, it was like nothing. Sometimes you just couldn't help getting covered in blood. That is, unless you wanted to die to stay clean.

Zoey wasn't that kind of girl. She wasn't afraid of getting her hands dirty.

Zoey had just shot her last bullet when she heard the noise that haunted her dreams.

A Hunter.

Oh shit.

She instinctively brought her gun up, aiming even though it had no bullets. The Hunter wasn't in sight, though she heard his growl.

"There's a Hunter around here!" Zoey informed everyone, trying to keep the zombies away from her. She wacked so many on the head with her gun it wasn't even funny. But what would she do when a Hunter attacked her? Smack him in the head with her gun? That would do nothing but piss him off.

"Where is he?" Francis demanded. "I hate Hunters. You never know where they are."

Another growl.

"I hear him." Bill said.

Zoey's face paled. Where the hell was it? He couldn't be invisible, could he? That was impossible.

Just then a Hunter pounced around the corner. Zoey recognized him instantly. It was the one from yesterday, for unlike many other Hunter's, this one had a _red_ hoodie on. She just realized that it was red, and that all the other Hunter's normally had a gray one. How come they all wore the same hoodie? Wait. She's seen ones with blue hoodies, and some had white or black. Come to think of it, she never really noticed the color of their hoodies. She only noticed their form and went paralyzed.

But this was the one from yesterday because she could remember that his hoodie was _red_.

"It's you." Zoey murmured in awe, staring at the Hunter approaching him.

"Watch out, Zoey!" Francis shouted, aiming his gun. Just as he did so, the Hunter knocked Zoey down rather roughly. Thankfully she didn't hit the floor, instead, she found herself in the Hunter's arms.

His claws were filthy. And they were sharp. _Very_ sharp.

She still couldn't see his face from where he held her. She saw his mouth, saw his razor sharp teeth, but the hoodie came down to his nose and hid his features above there and up.

And before she could even utter a noise, the Hunter tossed her easily over his shoulder. Not wanting to fall, she cooperated and held onto his shoulders. He was crouched down, and took a split second to lock her into place.

…what the hell was he doing?

"What the fuck?" Bill asked aloud, taken aback by the situation. Louis was busy killing the few zombies left, while Francis and Bill just watched as the Hunter had Zoey on his back.

"Guys," Zoey said uneasily, her legs straddling the Hunter's back from behind. "Help me?"

And then the Hunter crouched lower to the ground, and pounced in the air.

"Holy shit!" Zoey screamed, squeezing her legs to stay on the Hunter. He was a quick one, and didn't hesitate to jump again. It was like he was inhuman, even though he kind of looked like he was except for the claws and his diet. But how he jumped so high was beyond Zoey, or how fast.

All Zoey could do was hold on tight and wonder why the hell the Hunter came back for her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Wow! Thank you all so much for all the supportive reviews. I honestly wasn't expecting much, I don't know why. I'm happy you all like the story so far! **

**Poor Zoey, always getting swept off her feet by a certain Hunter D: How romantic, eh? Lol don't worry, it'll develop soon. Very soon. **

**Let me know what you think if you have time. **

**:)SmilinForYa(: **


	5. Chapter 5

She rode the Hunter. Yes, as odd and bizarre as it sounds, she rode the Hunter.

It took her awhile to get used to. Of course she had to hold on to his shoulders with a vice-like grip, or she would surely have lost her balance and went flying off. And she realized that the tighter she gripped him with her legs, the harder it would be to fall off. And she really did not want to fall off.

He carried her through the town. Zombies noticed her atop of him, but they didn't do anything. It was strange; something she couldn't figure out. The Hunter climbed up buildings (which was harder to keep a balance when he was climbing _up_), jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and even bounded onto a large tree once. Zoey began to think of Twilight, and how the vampire boy carried the human girl. Except this time he was an infected zombie that was notorious for ripping apart human flesh and she was the vulnerable human.

This Hunter was fast. He was very agile, and actually went around groups of zombies instead of making his own path. Zoey noticed he preferred not being in the open—he liked going behind buildings, or taking detours around streets out in the open. It was weird. It was like he actually had a _brain_, unlike most of the other mindless, heartless zombies wandering around aimlessly, seeking nothing but destruction.

So she continued to wonder just what this particular Hunter wanted with _her_. She certainly wasn't a zombie. She was a human. Zombies went after humans. So why did he just literally carry her off?

But she stayed silent. Surely the Hunter didn't know how to speak verbally. Maybe his growls were some kind of language understood among zombies—like any language that belonged to animals.

However, she couldn't help but let out a scream when he suddenly sprung off a rooftop, his arm towards the street below. Surely they would die. Just as she closed her eyes, the Hunter landed safely with her still intact, and he moved slower now, much to Zoey's relief.

She regained her normal breathing. She hadn't really noticed her breathing was rapid until she felt her wild panting. So she took deep, slow breathes that calmed her down.

And then he stopped.

Zoey tried to look over his shoulder, but found the zombies surrounding them more interesting. Instinctively, she clutched herself closer to the Hunter, deeply wishing he had some kind of compassion for human life and would do _something_ about the zombies.

But the zombies just walked past them. Once woman looked at Zoey, with thick blood running from her mouth, but then she moved on. Zoey felt herself trembling. To look into a zombie's eyes was truly frightening—there was nothing there. Not even a reflection.

She turned her attention back to the Hunter. He was crouched in front of a sewer entrance that was covered with a cemented lid. She watched in silence as he picked up the lid effortlessly, dropping it with a loud _BANG_.

_What is he doing?_

He looked at her. She looked back. What did he want? Was he trying to tell her something?

And then it dawned on her.

He wanted her to go down _there_—there into the sewers. Her stomach lurched at the thought, the stench of the sewer already making her cover her nose. She could stand smells; but a sewer was just disgusting.

She stepped forward hesitantly, peering into the dark hole that led to the sewers of the town. There was a ladder leading below, but she couldn't see the bottom. It was too dark.

"I can't go down there." Zoey said, shaking her head. She stepped back, only to find herself bumping into the Hunter. He stayed put, as if blocking any signs of escape.

_Oh no. _

"Please," She murmured, glancing back at the sewer entrance. "I-I think I'm going to get sick."

The smell was unbearable. It made her insides want to just curl up from the horrid smell. She couldn't think of what it smelled like; it was just awful.

The Hunter nudged Zoey towards the sewers. She dug her heel into the ground, trying to stop him. But he started to push her towards it, and the smell intensified as she grew closer. Her eyes started watering just from the smell.

Panicking, she whirled around, facing the Hunter, and pushed _towards _him. He seemed taken aback by the sudden movement, and didn't protest when she shoved him back.

"I'm _not_ going in there." Zoey said, willing to fight if that meant to keep her away from the sewers. The Hunter just seemed to stare at her (though she couldn't really see his eyes) and then he turned around, crouching low. She figured that meant "get on".

Relieved, Zoey willingly climbed onto his back and grasped his shoulders. She felt a little more comfortable on him now, even though she felt herself hold on tighter when he straightened up.

He carried her somewhere else. She felt much better without that smell, and her stomach felt at ease again.

He stopped on the rooftop of a big, abandoned building. It was more than one story high, and Zoey doubted zombies would even inhabit it. He crouched low again, and Zoey stepped off.

Why did he stop here?

The Hunter stood up, suddenly taller and more intimidating, and Zoey backed up a little. He ambled to the far side of the roof, and Zoey noticed a tree right there. He leapt easily onto a thick branch, and looked back at Zoey as if saying, "follow me". She followed behind him, being a bit more careful to jump onto the branch. She wobbled a bit, and held onto the trunk for support. She hadn't climbed a tree since she was a kid.

They circled the tree to the other side hidden by the leaves. Zoey saw another ladder going up the tree. She raised her eyes to see a building built right on the tree—like a _tree house_. Her eyes widened, and she looked to the ground to see the sewer line right below, covered by a lid. That's why he wanted her to go into the sewers—it would be quicker and easier to get here.

_So…he took me to a tree house? _

* * *

><p>"Boomer!" Bill shouted, just as he shot the Boomer, who was just about to hurl all over them.<p>

"Thanks." Louis said.

"No problem."

Francis was on edge. They all were. They just lost one of their fellow teammate _again_. Zoey.

"We need to find Zoey." Francis reminded them, cursing aloud when a zombie came at his left. He shot it right in the head. "Damn zombies!"

"Let's try to stay calm." Louis said, moving forward through the building. "We can't all just lose our minds here."

"The hell not! Zoey's out there with a _Hunter_."

"Obviously he isn't planning on harming her." Louis reasoned. "We don't know what he wants with her."

Bill mumbled, "It can't be good. That's for sure."

"It's better than him wanting to rip her apart." Louis replied. "We do need to find her as soon as possible, but let's not get us killed by panicking, alright?"

Francis took a deep breath. "Fine. Tell me to calm down when a friend of mine was carried off by a zombie that could literally kill her."

"It's the best I can do. What do you want me to do? Go ballistic?"

Francis calmed down a bit. "No. Sorry, but I'm just worried, you know?"

Bill said, "We all are. I know for a fact Zoey is a tough girl—she won't let shit happen to her. But we also know that a Hunter is stronger than her, even with a gun. And to add to that, the Hunters always go after her. This one just didn't try killing her for some reason."

"Why wouldn't it kill her?"

"Hey don't ask me. I don't know."

"None of us do." Louis grumbled. "And I think that's what has us in such a bad mood. None of us know what the hell he _wants_ with her."

And they all agreed.

* * *

><p>Zoey reluctantly climbed the ladder once the Hunter climbed it. It led to the tree house, from the floor up. There was an opening built for her to climb through, and she looked up to see herself inside of the tree house.<p>

There was only one window, and it was facing the house so it had absolutely no good view. But at least that provided some fresh air in the tree house.

The walls were made of wood. Actually, everything inside was made of wood. It had wooden shelves full of books that looked a little dusty. There was a chair in one corner, a rug in the middle of the room to provide a little bit of decorative side, a desk off to the side, and a mattress on the floor that had no blankets. It was obvious someone lived here before, and either left or died.

But why did the Hunter take her here?

She shot a confused look at the Hunter, who was gazing at her underneath the hood. Briefly, like many times before, she wondered what he looked like underneath the hood. But there was a fat chance that he would just raise the hood to let her see.

He closed the opening with a swift kick of his foot. It closed with a bounce, and Zoey cautiously walked to the window. A breeze struck her gently. It was actually nice, the breeze, even though there was no view.

"Why did you take me here?" She asked, forgetting that he was a _Hunter_. She turned to look at him; he was still in the same spot he was standing earlier.

He tilted his head, as if confused as well.

"I need to get back," Zoey said slowly, "to my friends. They're probably looking for me."

And then he shocked her by letting out a low, guttural growl that made her step back from just the sound. It wasn't exactly polite.

"You don't…want me to go back?"

His silence answered her question.

"I don't get it." She said, her voice shaking. "Why don't you want me to go back?"

As tall as he was, he walked towards her. Zoey wanted to back up, like always, but this time she stayed put, wondering what he was planning on doing. If he was going to kill her, so be it. She just wanted to _know_.

But instead of killing her, he simply leaned down and she heard him inhale through the hood. Was he…_smelling_ her?

He slowly moved away once that little display took place, and continued to just gaze at her.

"I still don't get it." She said, a little annoyed. So he sniffed her. How the hell is that an answer? "Why can't you just _talk_?"

Why can't it be easier to understand what the hell he _wanted_ with her? Did he even know what she was saying? He must have an idea, for he did something to 'answer' her question. Or maybe he just smelled the blood on her jacket.

Zoey unzipped her jacket and tossed it to the floor. The Hunter's gaze never left hers. So it wasn't the jacket. Then what was it?

She was just _dying_ to know.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Bleh. This is an iffy chapter, for some reason. Sorry about it being so short, but I wasn't sure if I should post it or not. But now I did, so let me know what you think! :) **

**Also, thank you all for the reviews. I replied to every single one of them, except an anonymous reviewer known as **Erin** whose review did make me laugh. Thanks for the review, Erin! **

**I shall update ASAP.**

**:)SmilinForYa(: **


	6. Chapter 6

This whole situation was highly dangerous mainly because she _should_ feel unnerved around the Hunter. But honestly, she didn't feel unnerved for some unexplainable reason. A bit uncomfortable under his stare, yes, but not unnerved in any way or form. She was confused—very confused. She wasn't even scared anymore, though she secretly wished she was. She should be running, clawing her way to escape the Hunter; whose kind just loves to try and rip apart her flesh. Unfortunately, she sensed no danger.

She kept her eyes on his the entire time. He just stood there, staring at her. Zoey normally hated looking into the eyes of a zombie, for their eyes were very scary to look into—much like the sun—but she couldn't even see the Hunter's eyes. She knew where they were, underneath his hood, but she didn't physically see them.

A noise stole her attention.

Zoey turned behind her to the window. She leaned out, looking towards the road, and saw two zombies fighting each other. They tended to do that at times.

She turned back around, only to gasp when she saw the Hunter was looming over her. He was standing to his full height, and he was _tall_. She could see him much closer from this prospective; the lean and defined chin he had, and the old, tattered red jacket he wore. Come to think of it, if he was human, he'd be good-looking.

She was surprised. She hadn't thought like that since she was a teenage girl when her hormones were going crazy. In her college years she kept herself in her dorm room, watching horror movies and playing video games. She didn't really pay attention to guys. Still she shouldn't even be thinking like that during a zombie crisis.

He took a step towards her. Instinctively, Zoey backed up only to find her back touch the wall. She couldn't back up anymore. The Hunter was getting closer. She could look up to see more of his face through the hood. Now his nose was visible. It wasn't deformed like the other Special Infected—example: the Smoker. God. He was _deformed_. But the Hunter, well this one, wasn't. From what she could see so far. Except for the claws and his super fast ability, he seemed pretty normal.

She didn't know what to say. There was nothing to say. She could only observe.

He reached out with his claws slowly—ever so slowly—to place them on either side of her head, as if trapping her there. Fear housed itself in Zoey's heart, made her heart start beating. Was he pinning her? Planning to finally kill her and blocking her escape?

But, suddenly, he pressed himself fully against her. Literally. Zoey closed her eyes, expecting the worst, but actually felt him up against her. It was…weird. She never had anyone _this_ close to her before.

And when she opened her eyes, the Hunter was nuzzling her neck. She was surprised he wasn't purring like a cat.

_What the hell…? _

This didn't feel sexual. If a guy did this to her, she'd immediately think of 'rape'. But now it felt actually kind of nice. Comforting in a weird kind of way. He was much, much stronger than she was (obviously) and he already defended her against a Smoker. The girlish part of her, which has been dominant for years past, has wakened at this point—the part where she enjoyed being protected, being comforted. It felt nice. It was almost like he was some kind of shield, covering her.

She wanted to hug him back.

But the Hunter seemed pleased just the way she was, with her hands clutching a little onto his front jacket as if clinging to him. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the moment.

It was so weird, yet it was so _right_.

Sure he did smell a little, but to be honest, he wasn't _that_ smelly. Not like the Boomer. Or the Smoker. God. Those smelled so bad.

The Hunter pressed closer to her, interrupting Zoey's thoughts. Her mind turned hazy in the comforting aura. He was so warm…

And then he pulled away, stepping back into his trademark crouch. Zoey watched, feeling a bit tired.

Without even a noise or hint, the Hunter bounded through the window. When Zoey looked out, he was already gone.

Where was he going? Was he leaving her there?

He would return. Zoey knew that. He wouldn't just take her here and leave her. She glanced to the opening of the tree house. Should she leave? She knew that she had no idea where she was, or where her friends were, and that there were zombies out there. She had no weapons. Her fists would do nothing against a horde. It was be safer to wait here until her friends showed up, even though they were probably worried sick.

Zoey still felt her heart racing. She felt light headed, enlightened. Why was she feeling like this? It was like she was high. She never felt like this before. Well, maybe after she had her first kiss. But that was the only time she remembered feeling like this.

She backed away from the window, rubbing her temples. The feeling was too intense and too foreign. She sat on the chair, drawing her legs up to her chin to hug them. This was too strong, this feeling. She didn't know what the hell was going on. Was she finally losing her mind?

She didn't want to lose her mind. She liked thinking rationally and logically. So why was she feeling this? Why did she let the Hunter touch her like that? Any normal person would freak out if that happened. Francis would've shot his head off or something. But he saved her. He protected her. How could she feel scared after he defended her not once, but twice? He even brought her jacket back.

He did nothing but good things to her. It would be wrong for her to think badly of him.

Yes he was a zombie. But he sure as hell wasn't acting like one that was for sure. He hadn't tackled her and tried to rip apart her skin.

It was odd. Like he actually valued her _life_.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the Hunter bounded back through the window without even a sound. He stood in the middle of the room, holding something in his hand. Some kind of brown bag?

He held it out to her, as if saying _here_.

Zoey hesitantly took the bag, wondering what was inside. If it was a human body part then she would surely be pissed. Surprisingly, she looked to see a piece of bread.

He brought her food?

So he could think. He knew what humans ate.

She took out the bread and inspected it. It was warm and fresh. Where did he get it from? She shot him a puzzled look, but took a bite.

Oh damn. It was _good_. She hadn't had fresh food like this in ages. She's lived on canned foods and stuff for months. She couldn't even remember the last food she ate that was nice and fresh.

The bread tasted like heaven. Literally. She ate it slowly, savoring the taste of becoming satisfied. She was so accustomed to feeling a little hungry all the time. She was never exactly _full_. But now, once she finished off the bread, she felt full and content. It reminded her of how tired she actually was. She yawned into her hand, wondering what time it was. It was getting dark outside, possibly awhile after sunset.

"Thank you." She said genuinely, giving the Hunter a grateful smile. She wished she could show him how thankful she was, but she was just so tired. Without another word, she went to the mattress and crawled onto it, getting into the fetal position. She hadn't touched a real mattress in ages either. She snuggled into the soft confines of the mattress, loving how it wasn't even hurting her back.

The mattress leaned down when she looked to see the Hunter joining her. She didn't even protest when he lay behind her. Hell, she turned around to face him, and she pressed against him, seeking his warmth and protection. He answered her by spooning her into him, wrapping his arms around her. She was surrounded by warmth and she _loved_ it. Their legs tangled together. It was like he was a big blanket that provided a lot of warmth.

"Thank you." She whispered again, closing her eyes. For once, she slept peacefully in the arms of the Hunter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

**Okay, I don't know about you guys but I love the Hunter in this story :3 he seems like a big cat to me or something. **

**Anyway, I got a LOT of reviews for the last chapter. Yes I know how terrible the ending was -.- buy hopefully this one is better. I like this ending :D **

**I want to thank my anonymous reviewers since I can't PM them. **

forbidden secret**: It's nice to know you like the story! Thanks for the review :) **

Erin**: -sigh- one of my favorite reviewers right here. She's reviewed, like, every chapter. What have I done to deserve her? ;p Yeah. The treehouse part just...came. I didn't even think about it LOL. It's...different. HUNTERCOPTER? HAHAHAHAHA. Oh gawd. That made me laugh xD I would be genuinely flattered if you drew something for "Prey". It would make me happy, scary happy. Literally. I would LOVE it :D **

Cc**: Thanks for the review :) I updated! LOL**

**Well, sorry it took so long for me to update. Sooo busy. But I WILL work on updating faster. I hate waiting because then I can never just get onto it, you know? Thanks for being patient people! **

**:)SmilinForYa(: **


	7. Chapter 7

_I had the weirdest dream last night_, Zoey thought as she began to wake up. She blinked rapidly, instinctively curling into the warmth surrounding her. _Hm. Bill sure is warm. _

She always pictured Bill as a fatherly figure. Maybe it was because her father was never really around much, since he was part of the police force and was called out as a daily routine, or maybe it was just because he was an overly fatherly figure. Yes he did complain a lot, and was grumpy most of the time, but Zoey did catch some moments where he seemed to care about the group. Despite his abnormally rugged appearance and cranky attitude, Bill had a golden heart.

"Is it time to get up?" Zoey whispered, keeping her eyes closed. She didn't want to get up just yet, not with this warmth.

The person didn't reply.

Zoey happily snuggled closer, nuzzling the warmth with a lazy grin. She slept good. It felt nice to sleep like that again. She didn't feel afraid when she slept; instead, it was a deep sleep that lacked fear.

_The dream was weird_, she thought to herself, imagining the dream inside of her mind. _I was…carried off by a Hunter. Yes, a hunter. Weird. He had this red jacket. Oh. I remember being taken by a Smoker and being saved by the said Hunter. Yeah. _

Wait a moment.

Zoey's eyes snapped open. She was staring right into the chest of a red hoodie. She slowly raised her eyes to see that she was in the arms of the Hunter.

_That was no dream! _

The Hunter was taking slow breaths. He was asleep.

Zoey tried to calm her beating heart. Was she insane? Did she really _let_ herself to fall asleep in the arms of a Hunter? What the hell was she thinking?

_…wait. I didn't know zombies slept. _

They did. Zoey then realized she did see zombies sleeping at times. But once they knew she was there, they immediately woke up.

She looked over the Hunter. His arms—claws and everything, were holding her close to him from around her waist. And her hands were cupped over his chest, her legs were tangled with his longer ones.

Wow. _I must've been really tired. _

And then she calmed down. Remembering everything briefly, Zoey remembered that the Hunter didn't want to hurt her. In fact, he saved her from the Smoker. He brought her here for a reason she didn't know yet. He even brought her some bread.

So should she be afraid?

Zoey's eyes then noticed the planes of the Hunter's face. From here, she could see a bit of his nose. All she had to do was reach his hood up and she'd be able to see his face.

She raised her hand slowly, hoping he wouldn't wake up and attack her. But just as soon as she touched his hood, she knew he woke up.

His arms tightened around her and his head jerked out of her grasp. Zoey flinched, moving back only to see his arms were holding her in place.

She waited as he seemed to gradually calm down. Still, this whole situation was beyond weird. She slept with a Hunter. Literally. (not sex, perverts ;p)

…what was the world coming to?

And now she was waking up _with_ the same Hunter. And she wasn't having a heart attack. Was something wrong with her? Yes. She was definitely going insane. She's lost her mind. She always thought she was a little on the crazy side while she was in college—since she never went to parties or hung out with people; she stayed inside her room playing video games and watching horror films. Maybe she was finally…losing it completely.

She didn't struggle when the Hunter nudged her closer. She didn't even flinch when he moved his hooded head into the crook of her neck and nuzzled her.

She felt herself slipping deeper into the hole. She found herself moving closer, seeking out his warmth and protection. They were pressed fully up against each other, and Zoey clung to him like a ragged doll. She felt like she was made of jelly—just a pile of mush. She used to always laugh at girls who would talk about romance novels and use the saying "I turned into a pile of mush in his arms" but now she knew how that truly felt.

She laid her head on his chest. Her mind was screaming _GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE _but she didn't….want to. If he got freaky then yes she would run away. But so far…

Her stomach growled; her stomach was empty again. That was the bad thing about eating, once you ate your stomach shriveled up the nutrients greedily and as quickly as possible. And then when it shriveled everything up, it always wanted more and it hurt even worse.

The Hunter let go of her. Zoey moved back into the mattress, wondering if she did something wrong. He stood over her. She looked up at him. Everything about him was meant to shred her into pieces. His claws, his long and powerful legs, the teeth that could rip through flesh; everything was meant to kill her. Yet there he was, doing anything but. It just didn't make any sense.

Zoey watched in silence as he bounded out without any warning just like last time. She was left with herself.

Was this really happening?

She felt the warmth leftover from the Hunter still on the mattress. The spot where he was, was still warm. She found herself snuggling into it, and then stopped.

She should run away. Run and never look back.

She hurried to the window and looked out to the road. There were a few zombies. Some were leaning against the walls, sleeping. Some were roaming aimlessly. But there were no frenzied zombies running around—things looked pretty relaxed.

Zoey looked around for a weapon. If she was going to go out there she needed some kind of weapon. Sadly there were no weapons. Would a book work…?

She sat back down on the mattress. A book wouldn't do, she'd get herself killed. If she did go out there, nothing would defend herself against a Hunter or even worse, a Tank. She'd be dead in the blink of an eye.

She couldn't go out there, it would be suicide. She'd have to stay here until…

…until when? Until her friends found her? She couldn't just stay here _forever_. Yes she liked the Hunter. There. She said it. She liked him. He was nice and saved her. Was it so bad to like that? She wasn't so sure on liking him, as in kissing and stuff, but she liked him enough to feel a bit comfortable around.

But she was safe here. That is, unless the zombies found out she was here, and then a horde would come. Zombies were desperate enough to climb up trees, if they could even do that.

So what would she do? Right now she was the damsel in distress…kind of. She wasn't locked up, nor was she in grave danger. But she was helpless. If she tried to get away, she'd surely die. She was stuck.

_I hate this. I really do. Why is my life getting even more fucked up than it already was? _

Just as Zoey though that the Hunter returned. This time he was holding a white back with something inside. Zoey didn't hesitate to take it from him. She peered inside. Some kind of sandwich stared back at her, along with a bag of chips. Even a bottle of water was there.

_Wow. This is a feast._

She looked on the bag. It was from Subway—a food place that was well-known before the zombies came. They had pretty good sandwiches.

_Subway…eat fresh. _

But how'd he get this? It was obvious the food wasn't made by Subway—the bag was just from Subway. The sandwich was wrapped in clear wrapping, the chips were in a normal bag, and the bottled water was unopened. Where the hell was he getting this stuff?

Keeping the mind-boggling question to herself, Zoey took a seat on the mattress and uncovered the sandwich. It was a ham and cheese sandwich with clean white bread. She stared at it for a few moments. When was the last time she ate something _clean_? Clean food was hard to come by these days.

She got lost in her memories. Those damned memories swept her away, making her just stare down at her feet in silence with a blank stare, the memories replaying in her mind, taunting her; reminding her just how good her life was before all this happened. She loved staying hidden in her room, playing video games. She loved filmmaking. She never did get the degree, even though she was failing her class. Hell, she should've gone into game designing or something.

Now she was hidden in a tree house with a Hunter. She had no future; only a past.

When she finally snapped out of it, the Hunter was crouched directly in front of her. Her eyes widened from his sudden close proximity. She didn't even hear him move closer. She looked down to see him gently pushing the sandwich towards her, his bigger hands covering her own.

_No future… _

"Do you even have a name?" Zoey asked, taking a bite. The sandwich was good. Too good. It didn't belong in this world. The Hunter watched her eat from underneath his hood, not moving away. "Did you ever have a name? Were you ever even human, or were you just born like this?" She paused. "Why am I even asking you this? You can't understand me, nonetheless speak English."

She waited for some kind of response, even a tilt of the head. But the Hunter remained motionless. Zoey continued eating her meal in silence, savoring the goodness of the meal. When she was done, she crumbled up her trash and stuffed it into the bag.

"Thanks. Again." Zoey grumbled, wondering why she bothered thanking him. He still probably didn't know what the hell she was saying. Talk about a failure of communication.

"You know," Zoey started, looking over the Hunter's red jacket, "where'd you get your jacket?" The Hunter tilted his head when Zoey touched the jacket. It wasn't clean, that was for sure. "Did you always have this, perhaps when you were human?"

She didn't know much about the special affected. She didn't know if they were always like this, or if they became this because of the sickness. She guessed they became this.

The Hunter moved his hand. Zoey moved away at the sense of movement, ready to bolt if he tried anything. But his hand went into a pocket and he took something out. Was it a wallet?

It was a plain black wallet. Zoey took it, feeling its dirty texture and hesitated before she opened it.

Money was stuffed in the pouches, not much. Just a few dollar bills. She found a card in a see-through slot, and realized, it was his _driver's license_.

Well, used to be his driver's license.

He was a good-looking guy. Lush, tanned skin and dark, raven hair made him look actually nice. He must've been Italian or something. And he even had _green_ eyes. Zoey couldn't help but feel her knees go numb. This guy was extremely good looking. Seriously. He was smiling in the picture—which hardly anyone does for a driver's license, but he was. He had a nice charismatic smile with pearly white teeth. But his eyes were so nice. They were perfectly green, and green definitely matched his skin tone and features.

Zoey glanced up at the Hunter. Was this horrible ugly monster this good-looking guy? No. It couldn't be. The Hunter found this wallet on the street and picked it up out of curiosity. But then why would he keep it? For the money?

Zombies don't need money.

She looked back at the picture and felt herself melt. It felt like the guy was staring right _at_ her with that alluring smile. She had to find his name. Some kind of identification. _Something_.

She found it.

Dakota Lombardi.

_Dakota. _

Zoey looked back at the Hunter. Was this zombie Dakota Lombardi—the guy in the picture?

"Dakota?" Zoey whispered. The Hunter perked up at the name, as if she just whistled.

"Your name is," Zoey paused, "Dakota?"

The Hunter nodded his head; the first sign of communication between them.

"You're this guy?" She held up the wallet, pointing at the picture. The Hunter, well, Zoey assumed he was looking at the picture. He then moved back and stood up.

"So you're this…guy?" Zoey looked back at the photo. It was way too hard to believe this, this _Hunter_ was once this handsome guy known as Dakota.

He turned around. Zoey didn't know what he was doing.

_What's he doing? _

And then it dawned on her.

His jacket.

It must've been so dirty that some of its designs and things faded. But if she looked closer, she could see the faded letterings staring back at her. She quickly went behind him to stare closer at the jacket.

_L…m….b…_

She wiped at the jacket, which didn't help. She was surprised the Hunter didn't even flinch from her movement. He was completely still.

_Lombardi. _

The last name was printed on the back of his jacket, though you couldn't be able to see it unless you looked as closely as Zoey was looking. Her eyes widened.

He _was_ the guy in the picture.

He was…Dakota Lombardi.

He was him.

* * *

><p><span>TBC<span>

_lazy to sign in_: Thanks for the review :)

_Erin_: It's fine, don't worry about it. I would go crazy if my internet went out :o hope everything gets better for you! Totally psyched for the pic you're talking about :D

_Cc:_ Thank you very much, I found it like that as well.


	8. Chapter 8

Well, the hunter had a name.

Weird.

Zoey has never given a zombie, nonetheless a _special infected_ a name, nor has she had the time to find out they had one. It's hard to find things out when you're just shooting at them before they, well, kill you.

But this particular hunter was once a guy named Dakota Lambardi. He went to school, did work sheets, had friends, probably dated a few girls or guys whichever he preferred, got his driving license, made a few mistakes; the list goes on and on. He was once human. He once thought logically. He was once _normal_. But now, he was a hunter—one of the special infected zombies that just loved going after Zoey to try and rip her apart.

But, technically, isn't he still Dakota? If Zoey were to pull down his hood, maybe she would find those compelling green eyes, the same eyes Dakota once looked through.

She didn't know. It bothered her to no end. Obviously Dakota's mind wasn't how it used to be, though he still remembers his own name. Zoey noticed how he perked up when she said his name. She had to admit that it would be hard to forget her own name. Whenever people call her name, she instantly perked up like Dakota did earlier.

It was just too confusing.

But she had to know! She wanted to know.

Above all, she wanted to know _why_ he didn't rip her apart. Why he saved her from the Smoker, and why he came back for her even though she ran away after hitting him. No zombie would do that—they had one thought on their mind: kill. So why was Dakota wasting his time with her instead of going after her friends? More important, why isn't he killing her?

"Hi," Zoey said, testing to see if Dakota understood every English word. He just tilted his head, obviously wondering what the hell she was saying. Okay. Maybe he just remembered his own name and nothing more.

She couldn't help but look at him a little differently. It was so hard to believe that he was once a normal human being.

There was only one way to find out.

Zoey took a slow, cautious step towards Dakota. He didn't move, nor did he seem frightened. He just stood there, silently gazing at her. She moved closer, ready for any signs of movement. This strangely reminded herself of an old western movie when the cowboy was trying to approach his disobedient horse that just threw him off.

She raised her arms. Dakota's stature didn't let off anything. If only she could see his face then she could see it change with his mood, but that right now was hidden beneath the hood.

She was now right in front of him. She paused, and then grabbed his hood. She felt Dakota tense up in what had to be confusion, and then when she gripped the hood a little tighter, he stiffened like a board.

He knew what she wanted.

Was he going to let her?

It's time to find out.

She began to lift her fingers. The hood was rising up, revealing his nose. Zoey was surprised to see that Dakota would actually _let_ her see his face.

Just before the hood came to his eyes, however, a noise startled Zoey.

A Smoker.

"Blargh!" The Smoker emitted. Zoey whirled around to see the Smoker standing on the roof outside the window. He was looking right at her. Shit.

Before Zoey or Dakota could even move, the Smoker's tongue seized her ankle and jerked her towards him. She fell on her back, hitting the back of her head painfully. She groaned, forgetting to struggle to cradle her throbbing head. That hurt. She was barely aware of the Smoker tugging her towards him with his tongue, which was wrapped tightly around her left ankle.

Dakota let out a growl. Zoey didn't even find herself getting nervous from the familiar growl. In fact, she snapped out of her daze and began kicking wildly. The Smoker let out another noise, and he began tugging harder and faster. Soon, Zoey was sliding across the floor, getting closer to the window.

It was all happening so fast, but Zoey saw it through little motions.

Dakota leapt over her like some kind of grand Olympian, and Zoey continued to struggle wildly, like a fish out of water. She couldn't see what Dakota was doing, but the next second she was free. The Smoker's tongue withdrew in a flash, and she heard him let out a strangled noise.

"I got it!" Someone yelled from outside. Zoey perked up, her head pounding and her vision swaying. She tried to sit up, but the world was spinning. "Don't worry—I got 'em both!"

Smoke infiltrated the tree house when a shot rang out through the air. The Smoker was gone; someone shot it. Dakota was at Zoey's side, crouching over her protectively.

Someone shot him. Zoey didn't know the person's voice; it didn't ring a bell at all.

"There's some kind of tree house." A woman pointed out. "Watch it! She's coming at you, Coach!"

"I'm on it." Another shot rang throughout the air. Zoey could gradually see better, though she knew a headache was quickly approaching. She groaned, cradling her throbbing head, and attempted to sit up. Dakota was still highly alert, and he was watching vigilantly out the window.

"Wait," Zoey froze, everything now hitting her, "there are people outside."

Dakota didn't move.

Without thinking, Zoey crawled under Dakota and ran to the window. Surely enough, like she suspected, there was a small group of people approaching the tree house. Zoey smiled in relief. People.

"Hey!" Zoey waved her arms. "Over here!"

"Is that a zombie?" The woman asked, aiming her gun at Zoey. Zoey froze like a deer in headlights.

A young guy shot out and lowered the woman's gun, saying, "That ain't no zombie! That's a human."

"Oh." The woman suddenly looked frightened and she picked her gun back up. "Miss, watch out! There's a _hunter_ behind you!"

Zoey threw out her arms, covering Dakota behind her. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

"Don't shoot?" Another man asked, obviously confused. "Why not?"

"He's harmless." Zoey said quickly. "Just…don't shoot." She looked at their bewildered faces and knew how weird it must've sounded. But she was right. Dakota was harmless, right?

"Well he ain't hurting her." The young man said, resting his gun on his shoulder in a laid-back manner. "I say he's harmless."

"He's a zombie." The woman protested. "A special infected at that."

"Well do you see him bitin' her? I sure as hell don't."

"That doesn't mean he's harmless."

"It's a long story," Zoey interrupted them. "If you guys want, you can come up here and I'll tell you. They don't know this place exists, well, except that Smoker."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." The laid-back guy said with a shrug.

"I don't know…" The woman said, unsure.

"Let's just go." The chubbier man said, already walking towards the tree house.

"I'm in."

* * *

><p>"Whew," The laid back guy said, taking off his cap to fan his face, "no wonder why they can't get up here. It ain't easy." He smiled at Zoey. "I'm Ellis."<p>

Dakota watched from a distance, strangely quiet.

"Call me Coach." The chubby man said. "Do you have any wrapping? My ankle's no good."

Zoey said, "Sorry. I don't have anything like that here."

"I would really love a shower right now." The woman said, offering Zoey a wary smile. "I'm Rochelle."

"That's Nick." Ellis said, pointing to a quiet guy with a white trench coat. "He don't talk much."

Nick scoffed but said nothing.

"Oh." Zoey motioned to Dakota, who was watching them from across the tree house. "That's Dakota."

"You gave him a name?" Rochelle said in disbelief, staring at Zoey like she had grown three heads.

"He's never attacked you?" Coach asked, setting his gun down. "Should I keep the gun?"

"No. It'll probably make him uncomfortable."

"Are you serious?" Nick asked. "Make him uncomfortable? The thing's a fucking zombie for shit's sake. How do you even stand around him without weapons?"

Zoey glared at him. "He saved me from a Smoker. Twice."

"So?"

"He also brought my jacket back."

"And? How the hell are you associated with him?"

"It's a long story." Zoey sighed, taking her hair out of the ponytail. She had a major headache, and the tight ponytail was making it worse. "But he's different than the others."

Nick studied Dakota. "He doesn't look any different from those _things_."

For some reason, Zoey didn't like how Nick spat the word _things_. Dakota was not one of those. He saved her.

"I'll admit," Ellis cut in, stopping Zoey from telling Nick off, "that he acts different. Come on, Nick. He ain't tryin' to kill us, he's just watching. He hasn't even tried to knock Rochelle down yet." Ellis shot a joking smile at Rochelle, who rolled her eyes.

Rochelle said to Zoey, "It always seems like the hunters go for me."

"Same here." Zoey said quickly, a little taken aback. "They always knocked me over instead of…Bill and Francis." She hung her head. She was really starting to miss her friends. Even though they bickered a lot, she knew they all cared about each other. Zoey briefly wondered what they were doing right now, and if they were alright.

"Bill and Francis?" Rochelle asked, sitting on the chair.

"They're my friends. I got separated from them." Zoey chose not to mention Dakota carrying her off.

"We could take ya back to them." Ellis suggested. "If ya want."

Zoey held up her hands. "I have no weapons, no way of defending myself."

"That's why you've been here, trapped. You couldn't get out or you'd be killed." Coach observed.

"I like it here." Rochelle said. "But we can't just stay here forever. We need to keep moving. We could take you back to your friends, or you could just come with us."

Zoey unconsciously looked back at Dakota. "Can he come with?"

Rochelle hesitated. Ellis answered for her. "Hell yeah! To have a hunter on our team? We'll kick ass!" He grinned over at Dakota, who still kept at a distance.

"The next safe house isn't far." Coach said. "Just a few blocks. We came here from several states away, believe it or not."

"Went through a fucking carnival." Rochelle grumbled. "That was terrifying. The love tunnel."

"Don't forget the swamp." Ellis added, shaking his head.

"The streets aren't any easier." Zoey said. "I've been through subway cars with zombies after me."

"So you'll come?" Nick asked, summing everything up. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat about nonsense, I'd really like to get out of this mess."

"Why? So you can go back to ripping people off?" Rochelle muttered, shooting Nick a dirty look. Nick didn't seem bothered.

"Your friends probably aren't very far." Coach said. "If we do find them, maybe we could all get out of this mess together."

Zoey felt sad when she thought of her group. This group was nice, yes, but she was so used to her group. She wasn't used to having this cold-hearted grumpy man, and this woman with an attitude, or this young man who liked joking around. She was used to having a fatherly figure that always had a cigar in his mouth, or a biker guy who had the sweetest heart. She even missed Louis. This group would take some time to get used to.

"Don't worry, Zoey," Ellis said, placing his arm on her shoulder. Zoey was aware of Dakota stiffening up, watching closely. "We'll take good care of ya."

* * *

><p>AN:

Oohh? Does Ellis find Zoey attractive? Can Dakota feel jealousy? YOU SHALL FIND OUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! ;)

Also, some review replies to anonymous people:

Tiggr93: Hi to Sweden, from the United States! :) Thank you for the review.

Emmaleigh: I updated! Literally.

forgotten secret: Aw I'm glad you think so. I want my own personal hunter as well -.- well, as long as he doesn't try to kill me LOL. Thank you for the review, and I'll try to keep Zoey with the right mind. PS: I hope i updated fast enough! Tell your friend she is bombsauce :3

Erin: Aw my favorite review. Dean is a cute name for a hunter, not gonna lie. Aw that would be cute! Yes, the girls DO have a variety xD Thank you for the awesome review :)

Remember everyone, your reviews = awesomeness.


	9. Chapter 9

Zoey wasn't attractive, that much she knew which explained her lack of experience and knowledge with boys, but she did know when a guy was flirting with her. She's had a few boyfriends, but nothing was ever really serious. She always had to find a guy who played video games, and when they went on their "dates" they usually watched some horror flick or played a game.

She had more guy friends in high school than girl friends. For some reason, she got along with guys easier. Most of the girls she knew were always worried about their looks—always putting makeup on and talking about who was dating who. The guys, however, were always talking about the latest game or…being boys. It may sound weird, but Zoey found herself having a better time hanging out with guys than girls. No she wasn't sexist, nor was she dissing her gender; she just found guys as good companions.

But Ellis? He was definitely flirting with her. He was a nice-looking guy, with a laid-back attitude and a different accent than she's heard around the city, but she wasn't so sure about him.

Dakota didn't want to leave the tree house. Zoey felt a little guilty about forcing him to leave, even though he technically kept her prisoner there.

"Why don't we just leave without him?" Nick snapped, rolling his eyes.

Zoey's stubbornness was stepping in. "I'm not leaving without him."

"So your boyfriend's a hunter?" Nick said sarcastically. "Shows a lot about your personality."

"Can he understand us?" Ellis asked, trying to avoid an argument. He was lifting his gun to lean against his shoulder.

"No. He only understands his name, I think." Zoey replied.

"If he won't leave," Ellis said, "will you?"

Zoey sighed. She didn't want to leave. But overall, what was more important—her friends, who will stay by her side no matter what, or Dakota, a hunter who could turn on her any second?

Maybe she was being a little foolish, staying with a hunter. Yes he's been nice, but what would happen if he lost control or something? She'd end up dead, and she'd never see her friends again.

She couldn't let Dakota keep her there. She couldn't let him come between her friends.

"Dakota," Zoey said. The hunter perked up at the sound of his name. "Are you coming or not?"

Dakota backed away, crouching low to the ground in a defensive position. Zoey watched silently as he jumped out of the window and disappeared in seconds.

…did he just leave _her_?

"Where'd he go?" Coach asked, crawling through the tiny opening. Zoey felt Ellis's eyes stray too much on her, and she hurried outside.

"I don't know."

"Where was the last place you saw your friends?" Ellis asked, following right behind Zoey. She walked faster.

Rochelle couldn't hold a gun properly, Zoey noticed. She had to struggle to even carry it. It was obvious the girl had no experience when it came to this, but she wasn't doing terrible. She had to have gotten better since she first held a gun, hopefully.

Zoey, on the other hand, could hold a gun better than many guys. Coach let her have his pistol, for that she was grateful for. She still didn't feel quite comfortable in this group, but they were better than nothing.

Zoey listened to their story—where they came from. They were from the South, which explained Ellis's accent. She wasn't really tuned in; she was more focused on her surroundings.

She also wondered where Dakota went off to. Perhaps he was getting her more food? Did she somehow hurt his feelings?

She heard a hunter's growl. Her head snapped to the direction in came from. For some odd reason, she had a feeling that was Dakota. Was he watching her from a distance?

"He's a zombie." Rochelle said, mirroring Zoey's thoughts. "You need to be reminded of what reality you live in, not some fairytale romance. Besides, he's a _zombie_. Ugly. Disgusting." She shrugged. "Smells."

"I think she gets the point." Coach interjected for Zoey's benefit. "That hunter does seem kind of…different."

If this was _her_ group, Zoey would've said something. But she didn't feel comfortable in this one at all. There was just something odd about it. Like she didn't fit in.

She missed Bill's blunt remarks, or Louis's directions on what to do. She even missed Francis's lame jokes that still, even though they weren't funny, made her laugh.

Coach was nice. Nick made her nervous, Ellis was more like a teenage guy (his maturity level) and Rochelle was obviously tough, but she didn't know how to hold a gun.

"Well your boyfriend left." Nick said, giving Zoey a snide look. Zoey sped up, not liking how he looked at her. "I'm not going to complain."

Zoey bit back a remark. Oh how she was tempted to just…

"Leave her alone, man." Ellis said, shooting Zoey a smile. Zoey didn't bother smiling back. She had no attraction towards Ellis; he seemed too immature for her, though he wasn't _that_ immature.

Yeah. She's one to talk. She's the one who turned down a law enforcing degree to go into filmmaking, in hopes of scaring the shit out of people. Yeah. And played video games instead of studying.

"So what's your story?" Ellis asked, not bothering to scan the area. Bill would've had every single exit pointed out in case a horde came. This group was not used to cities that were for sure.

"Uh," Zoey looked around, noticing a building with the door open. "Let's go in there."

"Why?" Rochelle asked, giving Zoey the who-the-hell-made-you-boss, look.

"There might be ammo or ammunition."

"She's got a point." Ellis said quickly, backing Zoey up. Wow. His attempts were, to the least, pathetic.

"I think we should just keep going, though your idea is good." Coach said.

Nick shrugged. "I can care less."

"I say that if we do go inside, we lock the door, secure the area," Rochelle lowered her gun, "and take a break."

Ellis took his cap off to hit his knee. Zoey stared in silence. That had to be the most stereotypical move she had ever seen. "I agree!"

"Alright. I guess the majority wins. Let's go."

All of them headed to the building. Zoey went inside first (surprisingly) and found a small room with a blinking light bulb keeping the light dim. Louis would've already started working on the light to keep the visual for them good, but everyone just locked the doors and Rochelle was already sitting against the wall, worn-out.

Zoey decided not to say anything about what her group would've done; instead, she sat against the wall and tried to rest. She wasn't even tired, literally. Rochelle looked like she was close to fainting, Coach was lying next to Ellis, but Zoey didn't have a right to talk. Who knew how long they've been traveling? She sure as hell didn't know.

Zoey stiffened up when she heard a hunter's growl. Could that be Dakota?

"Don't worry," Ellis told Zoey, "you're safe. These doors are metal. There ain't no way zombies can get through that."

Zoey disagreed. She's seen it happen before. It was possible.

A couch echoed in the distance. A smoker.

"Fuck," Rochelle said, catching Zoey's attention. She looked…scared?

"Smoker's always go for her." Ellis said. "For some reason, they _always_ go after her. We don't know why—they just do."

Weird. Hunters always went for Zoey. Apparently Smoker's go for Rochelle. Was there some kind of pattern going on?

Something clawed at the door.

"Fuck!" Ellis said, grabbing his gun. "They're breaking in!"

Surely enough, something was clawing away at the door. However, when Zoey looked out through the hole, nothing was there.

"It…left?" Coach asked, obviously confused. He lowered his gun, something Zoey never did unless the area was completely clear.

Suddenly, something swiped inside. A tongue. A smoker's tongue. It slithered to Rochelle, seized her ankle, and knocked her off her feet. It all happened so fast that nobody—not even Zoey—had time to even react. Soon, Rochelle was being dragged to the door by her ankle.

"Let me go!" Rochelle screamed, kicking violently. She squirmed as the Smoker drug her to the door.

Zoey aimed for the tongue, which wasn't easy since it wasn't big—it was just long. She shot out, but missed. Damn. Quickly she aimed again, her heart pounding. Rochelle was now being lifted upwards to go through the hole. Coach grabbed her arm, with Ellis grabbing the other, and they began pulling her inside. The Smoker was persistent, and instead of letting Rochelle go, he continued to tug. It was like a tug-of-war, and Rochelle was the rope. If they kept this going, Rochelle would eventually be ripped in half. Literally.

But what else could they do? If they let Rochelle go—the Smoker would have her, and she'd surely die.

Zoey rushed to the door. While everyone was preoccupied with what they were doing, Zoey didn't hesitate to try and unlatch the Smoker's tongue off of Rochelle. The tongue was gross and velvety, but Zoey had to do it, no matter how badly she didn't want to.

"Stop kicking!" Zoey said loudly to Rochelle, who was panicking at the moment. With Rochelle's kicks, it was nearly impossible to get the tongue unwrapped her ankle.

And then suddenly, too suddenly, the Smoker let go. Since Ellis and Coach were still pulling on her, all of them were thrown to the ground from their force. Zoey, panting heavily, quickly reclaimed her gun, aiming out the hole. The Smoker wasn't there. He was probably a distance away. Smart one.

Coach was helping Rochelle stand up, who looked like she was about to faint. Zoey couldn't blame her; that's how she felt whenever a hunter attacked her.

"Zombies these days," Ellis said breathlessly, evidentially taken aback, "are just weird ones. The damned Spitter's go after Coach—"

"—Spitter's?" Zoey couldn't help but ask. She never heard of those before. Perhaps he was talking about a Boomer? Maybe that's how the people in the south referred to them.

"Yeah. You know, the zombies that _spit_." Nick said sarcastically. Zoey glared at him. While Rochelle was being dragged, the man didn't do anything. He probably would've watched her die than risk his own life.

"Thanks for the help," Coach said coldly to Nick. "We sure as hell needed it." He was helping Rochelle stand up.

"No problem." Nick said with a roll of his eyes. He leaned against the wall, holding his gun closely to him.

"Anyways, like I was _sayin'_," Ellis shot a meaningful look at Nick, "the Spitter's go after Coach. They spit acid-like stuff and it burns like hell. The witch, you know, the girl that cries, always go after sour puss over there."

Nick narrowed his eyes. "Okay, _redneck_."

"But luckily for me, none of the zombies come after me." Ellis finished with a grin.

"You smell too bad." Nick grumbled. Ellis glared at him.

"Let's stop fighting." Coach said. "Rochelle's scared to death over here."

"So do any zombies go after you?" Ellis asked Zoey, directing his full attention to her.

Zoey replied, "Hunters. They always went for me."

"But you just had that hunter—what his name? Dakota?"

"He's the only hunter who hasn't tried…killing me."

A snarl caught everyone's attention. Everyone nearly jumped (including Zoey) when a hunter—Dakota, came springing through the door. He knocked it down in the process, and landed right in front of Zoey, rising to his full height.

"You're back." Zoey said softly, feeling more comforted to see someone—or something, familiar.

Dakota stared down at her through the hood. He was the tallest one there, taller than Ellis (who wasn't that tall to begin with).

Zoey had the sudden urge to just-she did it. She hugged Dakota. She didn't care if he ripped her to shreds due to the sudden movement; she hugged him. He did tense up, and jerked back a little, but he didn't try to kill her. Zoey drew back with a soft smile, feeling like she made some progress.

"I don't understand," Nick's voice, loud and rude, cut through the air, "how you can stand him. He's a fucking _zombie_. He's probably killed people."

"Nick," Zoey said, "do me a favor and just shut up."

"Finally somebody told him." Ellis grumbled, not seeming happy that Dakota had returned. "So what's the plan? Are we gonna just sit here for awhile or keep goin'?"

"I want to go west." Rochelle said, looking a little normal. "I don't like this city bull shit."

"The west will be a little more deserted." Coach said. "So that means fewer zombies. Where was your group heading, Zoey?"

Zoey shrugged. "They could've changed their minds by now."

"I say we go west!" Ellis said.

Zoey walked over the broken door, seeing the street empty and safe. "I guess I'll go find my group on my own."

"You sure?" Ellis asked, following behind her. Dakota was at Zoey's side, fully silent.

"Yeah. You guys keep going."

"Are ya sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine." Zoey grinned. "I'm used to the cities. Going west would not be good for me."

"We'll stay here. Come back inside, Ellis." Coach said. "Stay hidden to rest. Good luck finding your friends, Zoey."

"Thanks." Zoey began walking down the street. She looked down to the floor to see her shadow walking with another—Dakota's tall and lanky one. He looked human in the shadow. His form looked like hers, though his arms were much bigger due to the deformation of the illness. He was also hunched a little, but that's how he normally walked.

Yes he was a zombie, thanks to the illness. But were they really _that_ different?

* * *

><p>AN: So I am so very sorry for taking so long to update. I'm not going to name excuses or anything -.- but hopefully I can update faster now! I hope you liked this chapter. I had to restart it over and over since I didn't like how it went, but this was my best outcome. Please let me know if you liked it or not. Also, just as a heads up, since this story IS rated m, it's gonna start getting rated M...know what I mean? ;) just a heads up! I'm excited for that! :3

Thank you for all the reviews! I had a lot of people love how I put LFD 2 people in. I was never planning on putting them in for the whole story, I just wanted to throw them in. So for any of you who didn't want them in it, don't worry, they won't be in it much.

Anyway, I want to thank Erin, my lovely anonymous reviewer who ALWAYS reviews. Thank you so much! I wish you luck in boot camp. It sounds brutal, but I'm sure you're tough anyway and will kick ass! Once again, you rock and thank you for your feedback :D

I shall update ASAP (hopefully).


	10. Chapter 10

_Erin, I apologize for the long wait. Thank you for not giving up on me! OMG my brother has a gamer tag and he lets me on it sometimes. We should play Left 4 Dead on xbox live! It would be awesome :3 just email me about it and we can let each other know gamer tags and all that good stuff. Do you know my email? You can look on my fanfiction profile, since I'm not allowed to give it out on here. In fact, if you have problems finding it I can put my email on my profile so you can just click on it. Thank you for your review and patience. _

* * *

><p>Zoey found the Smoker that tried to get Rochelle shortly after she left the group. Of course she shot him. Dakota flinched from the gunshot but did nothing more.<p>

"Sorry," Zoey apologized softly, reloading her pistol. Thankfully there were no zombies about. The streets where empty…for now. If a horde was to come, surely Dakota would let her climb on his back and they'd make a run for it.

She trusted him.

Dakota coasted a little closer to her, his arm brushing against her own. Zoey found a warm feeling in her chest from that simple action. Could it be romance?

She wasn't good at the whole romance thing. It never really seemed to appeal to her. But maybe since Dakota was a hunter, maybe it could be thrilling.

Feeling like the coast was clear; Zoey let her hand hang at her side, relaxing visibly. Dakota had to know when a zombie would be coming, hopefully.

If she found her group, would they accept Dakota? The thought made Zoey's face drop in worry. Dakota was her friend; her ally. What would she do if they tried to shoot at him? She felt herself frowning from the thought. No. They wouldn't shoot at him, not if she told them not to. They were her friends, too. They trusted her and listened to her. Unlike Coach's group, Zoey's friends were closer to her. They were strangers. Zoey wouldn't blame them for being a little wary towards her. She'd act that way, too, towards a strange girl.

"Does your arm hurt?" Zoey asked, trying to get her mind off the inevitable. It would have to be decided in time, but until then, she might as well not stress over it. She eyed Dakota's arm, with the bandages over the elbow. His skin wasn't as silky as any other hunter's; mainly because his skin was a slightly darker tone.

He was Italian. Probably the last Italian Zoey would ever meet.

"Here," Zoey stopped, tucking her pistol over her jeans line, "let me look at it." Dakota tilted his head in confusion as Zoey slowly stepped closer to him, closing the distance between them. She gently grabbed his elbow, oh-so carefully, and began to gingerly unwrap the bandages.

Oops. Shouldn't have done that.

Immediately after Zoey pulled the bandages off, a horrible stench hit her nose. Choking on the sudden putrid stench, Zoey let go of the bandages and covered her noise, her face twisting in disgust. Her stomach heaved. This stench smelled worse than the sewers, and was stronger than the smoke from a Smoker.

Zoey took a moment to recover from the smell. She covered her nose with her shirt, trying to ignore the smell or she might just throw up. It was that strong.

She raised her eyes to see green ooze coming from Dakota's injured arm. It looks painful, more painful than Zoey's ever seen. He would have to get that looked at. Pronto. She couldn't even look at it for long before the smell was coming in through her shirt, working its way back into her nostrils.

With trembling hands, Zoey quickly wrapped his elbow back up, briefly wondering if all his other bandages areas were like this. Did all Hunters have this?

Did he cover it up with bandages? Was it a side effect that he got when he was a human, and before he became this, did he put these bandages on? Or did someone actually put them on long before Zoey ever met him?

The stench still made Zoey feel sick; it lingered in the air, but it was gradually fading. Zoey leaned against a building's wall, breathing deeply, trying to calm her stomach.

Dakota stood there, silently observing Zoey. After a moment of calming herself, Zoey said quietly, "What the hell happened to you?"

She watched him walk towards her, him to his full height, and he towered over her, his shadow consuming her own body. Like any normal human instinct and trait, fear made its way into her heart and caused it to start beating faster. Her muscles tensed up to fight back if Dakota were to attack her. However, another part of her brain reached out to Dakota—warding off the thoughts of violence and jeopardy. That part of Zoey _knew_ that he wouldn't hurt her, and it calmed her down a bit.

"Do you ever," Zoey whispered, feeling as though he was listening to her, "feel pain? Does it hurt?"

Dakota simply lowered his shadowed, hidden head, and nuzzled Zoey in-between the crook of the neck. She didn't hesitate to lay her hand on the back of his neck, encouraging his openness and affability. She felt his hands, the dangerous nails and all, grip her softly around the waist. It was weird. It didn't even feeling like Dakota was a zombie anymore, except the fact that he was.

It was a moment of Dakota showing—giving his weakness to her. He trusted her that much to let his guard down and…do this. It touched her, it really did.

"When we find my friends," Zoey said soothingly, feeling his breath fan over her neck, "we'll get that cleaned. It has to hurt." How can it not hurt? "We'll get you better. I promise." She wrapped her arms fully around his neck and gave him a tight hug, smiling to herself when Dakota brought her closer in return and hugged her back.

It was one of those moments that she would never forget.

* * *

><p>Zoey always thought that since the world was over, she would only hold memories from the past. She would only remember memories that have already occurred, and she'd only be able to replay them in her mind and that was it. She thought that time would freeze and there would be no more memories. How could there be any more memories when the world was over? When humans were almost wiped out with zombies swarming the planet? So how were memories supposed to keep coming?<p>

She thought the world would freeze in place, forever trapped in this living hell. Time would stop. Calendars would no longer be needed, nor would watches. Human civilization would go backwards—no new technology, people would have to convert back to the old ways. Depend on how high the sun was in the sky, find their own food, and salvage every little thing they found. Instead of depending on the government, people would have to depend solely on themselves. Survival would be their first thought every time they woke up; wondering how many more days they could go without making a little mistake that could end it all.

It was depressing, the whole thought. Zoey was sure that she would die long before now.

But here she was, making another memory. This one was fresh, and for once, it gave her something she thought she had lost long ago.

Hope.

* * *

><p>They encountered a few zombies when they found some apartment complexes that were probably covered in zombies. Dakota silently lowered his body, allowing Zoey to make her way on him, wrap her legs around him, and hold on tightly as he bounded off on a nearby rooftop. Zombies didn't chase them; for surely a human would never ride on a hunter. The hunter would kill a human.<p>

Luckily for Zoey, Dakota wasn't just a hunter. He was Dakota Lombardi.

Zoey kept her eyes out for her group. All she mainly found was zombie after zombie. After awhile of jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Dakota sprung himself back to the ground, but he didn't let Zoey down. She clung to him tighter when she noticed a few zombies surrounding them. Shockingly, they didn't do anything. They looked at her with that blank stare, but continued walking aimlessly. Some went to sleep. But it was as if they treated her as a zombie herself. She couldn't figure out why. It couldn't be because she was on a hunter's back—they would still be able to sense her. So why did they not seem to _see_ her?

She felt herself calming down after awhile of Dakota walking in the middle of zombies. She guessed she was alright. Now if a Tank came along…she would be a little nervous.

Thankfully the day was eventless. There was nothing but a few zombies, waiting for a poor human to run along. Nothing more, nothing less.

After awhile of Dakota walking through streets, Zoey found herself drifting to sleep on his back. She leaned her head on his shoulder blades, and closed her eyes, feeling herself drown deeper in sleep. It felt good. Relaxing. Comforting.

She just fell asleep when she was jolted awake as Dakota suddenly leapt on another rooftop, crawling faster than any man could run. She held on tighter, wondering what was wrong.

He jumped to another roof, and then it hit Zoey when she heard:

"We're surrounded!"

It was Francis.

Her friends!

"They're in trouble," Zoey murmured in Dakota's ear. She felt him perk up at the sound of her voice. "Can you please take me to them? I have to help them."

He hesitated before bounding in a large complex building. She climbed off his back, him standing close to her, and Zoey could hear gunshots a few rooms away. She ran towards the noise, with Dakota right on her heel, and skidded to a stop to see her group cornered with a massive group of zombies there.

Zoey pulled out her pistol before anybody could notice her, and she began shooting the zombies. Dakota went right to action, and took out nearly half the zombies by throwing them out a nearby window. It shattered, echoing across the streets.

"Zoey!" Bill shouted, a little relieved and happy when he noticed her. Zoey shot him a grin and a thumbs up as Bill shot the last zombie.

She ran to her group and Bill was the first to hug her.

"Are you alright?" He asked frantically, pulling back to check her over.

"You're okay!" Francis exclaimed, giving Zoey a bear hug. "You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"Watch out." Bill said, suddenly noticing Dakota standing there. "A hunter. It's the one that took her."

"No! Don't hurt him." Zoey didn't think before stepping in front of Dakota so they wouldn't shoot, protecting him with her body. "Don't shoot him. Please."

"Why not?" Bill asked, giving Dakota that grumpy snide look. "He took you out of our hands. I think that's a good enough reason."

"Can I explain?" Zoey asked weakly, laying a hand on Dakota's shoulder to calm him down. He was tensing up from the attention.

"Sure." Louis said, the only calm one. "But first, I say we get to safety first before you explain. There's a safe house downstairs. We've been trying to get down there, but there are so many zombies around here."

"Well then we better get going." Zoey said, giving Dakota a smile. "Come on. Safety sounds good right now."

* * *

><p>Authors's note:<p>

Bleh. I know it's been soooo long since I've last updated. Again. However, I have been on vacation and school work yadda yadda. I updated though! I don't like how the ending to this chapter went but oh well. I'll just make the ending to the next one twice as better ;] thanks to all my reviewers out there! I read every single one of your reviews and smile like a total dork :D Such kind words!

Anyway, I shall update as soon as I can.

:)SmilinForYa(:


	11. Chapter 11

Zoey was the first one who ran into the safe house, followed closely by Dakota, Bill, Francis, and Louis. Zoey leaned against the wall, catching her breath as Louis closed the metal door. He reloaded his gun.

"We made it," Louis said breathlessly, turning to look through the little bars. They weren't being followed—that was a good sign. He fixed the cuffs of his shirt and turned to Zoey. "So. Tell us everything."

"It's a long story." Zoey said, sinking down to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest, and Dakota stood next to her in silence.

"We have time." Bill grunted, sitting down across from her. He was giving himself a health pack.

"Dakota took me to some kind of tree house." Zoey explained. "I still don't know why he brought me there. Anyway, so he brought me food and such and after awhile I heard people. A group was outside, and I ran out there and greeted them. They were from the South. Ellis was a young guy, always cracking a joke, Nick is still kind of a mystery to me, Rochelle was the girl of the group, and Coach seemed to be the leader." Zoey wiped some stray bangs from her face. "They were nice…I guess. But they wanted to go West; I didn't know where you guys wanted to go. So we split up."

"Why would you want to go West?" Francis asked, as if the idea was stupid.

"I know what they're thinking." Louis said thoughtfully. "The West is, as you know, not that populated. Most of its deserted since many people went to the big cities for the centers the government made for people."

The group was silent. Everyone knew what happened. All those people were trapped in the centers, and half of them got the illness and killed them all. It was a disaster.

"That's not a bad idea." Louis said with a shrug. "But we need to find some kind of civilization—some hope that there are people out there. I want to find a radio."

"There's a radio station not far from here." Bill said. "I lived about 30 minutes from here."

"A radio _station_?" Louis asked. "Now that could be helpful. Very helpful."

"What happened after that?" Francis asked, setting his gun beside him. "Anything worth telling?"

"Well after we split up, Dakota and I found you guys." Zoey said, leaving out the part where they…hugged. She felt herself embarrassed, and looked down at her dirty shoes, seeing how they were wearing down by now. She needed new ones.

"So Dakota," Louis said, "what exactly _is_ he?"

"Oh! That reminds me." Zoey sprung up. "He's hurt. Is there any way we could use a health pack on him?"

"Why would you use a health pack on a zombie?" Bill asked, not in a rude way.

"I'm not hurt." Zoey rushed. "I can use mine."

"Hold on," Louis held up his hands, "where's he hurt?"

"See all the bandages on him? I took one bandage off and he's bleeding some kind of green stuff." Zoey shivered at the memory. "It smelled terrible."

"But does it even hurt him?"

"It has to. You should've seen it." Zoey's mouth went dry and her stomach didn't feel too well. "It _has_ to be painful." She hurried to the table of medical supplies and picked up her health pack. This should help Dakota.

"Wait," Bill said, "let's talk this over."

"What's to talk over?" Zoey asked, opening the pack. "He's in pain right now."

"Can he even _feel_ pain? Zoey, let's think for a moment. Dakota's a zombie."

"And?" Zoey approached Dakota like he was a horse, calmly and taking slow movements. "Dakota. This will help you. See this? It's a health pack. It might help those nasty cuts of yours."

Dakota didn't move, which was a good sign.

"I'd cover your nose, guys." Zoey warned, mentally preparing herself for the putrid smell. "Here goes."

She took off the bandages on Dakota's left arm. Immediately the smell drowned her, but she focused on breathing through her mouth and used the health pack on that arm. Francis let out a strangled noise, letting Zoey know that the smell _was_ as bad as she thought. She did the work as fast as she could, using decisive movements and hoping Dakota wouldn't move.

She finished the arm. Dakota wasn't bleeding the green stuff anymore. It looked…a lot better.

Hurriedly, Zoey moved onto the next elbow, repeating her movements from before. The smell wasn't as bad as before, but it still made Zoey feel dizzy.

Finally, she was done. Zoey used the whole health pack on Dakota. Sighing, smelling normal air instead of the horrible stench from before, Zoey smiled up at him. "There. Better?"

Dakota raised his arms, seeming to notice that the bandages were gone. She saw his mouth twist into a small—barely noticeable smile.

"Well look at that." Bill said, surprised. "He's smiling."

And indeed, Dakota was smiling.

"Good night, Zoey." Bill said, lying off in the corner. Louis was already asleep, and Francis used his gun as a pillow. Zoey could already hear Francis's snore coming through. The guy snored loud. It made it hard to sleep at times.

Dakota settled himself next to Zoey. She took off her jacket to use as a pillow, and she laid over on her side away from Dakota, who was silent, like always.

She was just about to fall asleep when she felt someone tugging on the back of her shirt. Blinking, Zoey sat up, turning to see Dakota staring at her.

"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow.

She was surprised when she felt his rough hand caress—yes caress her cheek, so tenderly that it _had_ to be human. The thought made tears form in her eyes. No. Dakota wasn't human. But the action he just made was so human that…

"Dakota?" Zoey whispered quietly. "Can I…please see your face? Without the hood?"

Dakota hesitated. He glanced around the room, making sure that everyone else was fast asleep. At last, he looked back at Zoey silently. She knew the answer.

_Yes. _

Slowly, Zoey touched the edge of the hood, feeling how dirty it was. She stared at Dakota's chin, trying to imagine what the rest of his face looked like. Was it all mutated? She then realized that she never had seen a hunter without the hood on. Were they like the Smoker—completely messed up in the face?

The unknown idea scared her, made her nervous; but Zoey gently pulled the hood back, gradually revealing Dakota's facial features.

He had a nose that seemed normal. Pulling the hood back all the way, Zoey let it drop over on Dakota's neck. His face was…

…handsome.

Just like in his picture, Dakota's face was the same. No mutations, though he did have the sickly skin from the illness. But he had bronze skin from being an Italian, and narrow, masculine cheeks.

Wow. He was _very_ nice looking. Zoey couldn't believe her eyes. Why the hell would Dakota hide this?

And then she noticed his eyes, and that drew a gasp from her.

One eye was clouded with the sickly green color, effect of the illness. And his other eye was a human, beautiful green color—like in the picture. It looked human. Zoey could see tiny flickers of emotion gazing back at her, just as if she was looking into a human's eye instead of a zombie.

Zoey froze. One eye was like a zombie, and the other was…human. What did this mean?

Was Dakota…_part _human after all?

* * *

><p>Authors note:<p>

Let me start off with:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well, if you celebrate Christmas ^^ don't wanna offend anyone! Happy holidays! Anyway, I decided that for a present to you all I would update today, right after I updated yesterday! A fast little update, yes? You're welcome^^ you all well deserve it!

So how'd you like the chapter? Yes it's short; but it's a little intense, eh? ;) Just as a warning everyone, this'll get a little rated M! WARNING! That's why it's rated M in the first place ;D If you don't like that, easily skip the part where I say or...I don't know. LOL.

Anyway, I'll update when I update! Let me know what you think!

:)SmilinForYa(:


	12. Chapter 12

_Was Dakota…part human after all? _

Immediately Zoey rushed to doubt the unthinkable thought. How could he be part zombie, while being human at the same time? He couldn't speak English, and he probably couldn't write. Right? There was absolutely no way he could be part zombie and part human. No possible way, scientifically _and_ humanly.

When people grew ill from the infection, they either became zombies or the special infected. There was no in-between. Lucky people, like Zoey, were immune to the infection. That didn't mean that they didn't have it at all; in fact, they still had the infection in their blood—they just didn't have the affects like everyone else.

However, as Zoey looked into Dakota's human eye, she knew perfectly well that she wasn't looking at Dakota the _hunter_; she was looking at Dakota Lombardi, the _human_. It was undeniable. She looked into his other eye—the one clouded with the infection, the one that was a paler, sicker green that would have disgusted Zoey if this wasn't Dakota, and knew perfectly well what she was looking at. A hunter. A deadly killer that was designed to kill her.

Trailing from his eyes, Zoey drank in his features. His face wasn't mutated like the hunter's. He still had the handsome features from his driver's license. His lips were cracked and dry, probably dried blood staining on them, too. They looked chapped, and Zoey knew how much that hurt. His skin was dry as well, and on his left cheek were particles of his skin flaking off, due to the intense dryness. His hair seemed fine, just as any human's hair, though it looked faded a bit now; not as dark as it looked in the picture. When was the last time he showed? It was rare for Zoey and her friends to find a shower—nonetheless a shower that had running water. So Zoey herself hadn't showered awhile.

Zoey never once saw the face of a hunter. They always wore their hoods so low over their faces to hide them. Why, she did not know. Why would they hide this?

Even worse, along with this shocking discovery, Zoey had the random urge to kiss Dakota. Kiss him like he was human, for when she looked into his human-like eye, the urge grew. But she tried to remember that his lips were stained with blood, and that zombie eye was watching her with its vacant look.

He probably couldn't even think properly. His brain was probably half lost. But then why did he save her?

None of this made sense.

Instead of kissing him, Zoey cupped his cheeks, a little surprised and grateful that he didn't flinch, and whispered, "You're so beautiful." She knew the word "beautiful" was normally mentioned to describe a girl or woman, but it seemed the only suitable word for the circumstances. Besides, his human eye glinted at the word, and Zoey saw his lips falter the slightest bit, hinting a smile. He _was_ beautiful, and Zoey decided she didn't want him to hide his face any longer.

"But why do you have a zombie eye," Zoey whispered softly, inching closer to Dakota, drawing her knees to her chest, "and still have a human eye?"

He didn't respond. He only stared back at her—his zombie eye blank and lifeless, and his human eye full of compassion and warmth.

"Dakota?" Zoey whispered, peering into his human eye. "Are you there? Are you consciously there, or are you really gone?"

Like a wave took over, Dakota's human eye flinched wide for a moment, and as if _hearing_ her voice, he had his arms around Zoey, holding her closer to the eye. He gazed back, his eye seeming to shimmer in either the lights above or something Zoey recognized in human eyes.

Dakota Lombardi was somewhere in there. He wasn't fully gone—he just wasn't in total control.

Her breath taken away, Zoey recognized the realization. That's why he saved her. Dakota was _still_ in his body, though only halfway. The hunter controlled his movements, but he had some kind of control over his thoughts.

He was there.

* * *

><p>That night Zoey slept leaning against Dakota, who had his hood back on and seemed to be asleep underneath it, too. She dreamed about Dakota somehow finding a "cure" to his illness and becoming a human. Of course that wasn't possible. There was no cure. If there was, this would've never happened in the first place.<p>

But what could she do? Dakota Lombardi was trapped inside his mind, but unable to control his actions. The only power he had was when the emotion was strongest—and it seemed like he could force the hunter to obey him once more. It was odd, something Zoey's never heard of. Perhaps the illness hadn't taken its full effect yet?

Zoey didn't know. But all she knew was that it was actually nice to have someone to lean on when sleeping.

* * *

><p>Louis woke everyone up the next morning.<p>

"Guys," Zoey heard faintly upon waking, "get up. We slept in."

When Zoey felt Dakota stir, she knew it was time to get up. She straightened up off of Dakota and yawned, feeling oddly more refreshed than ever. Must be because she slept in.

Francis was already loading his gun, and Bill was grabbing pills off from the medical closet. He tossed a bottle to Louis, and stuffed his own into his bag.

Zoey never liked taking the pills. Yes they were helpful, but as weird as it sounds, they made her feel like a druggie. Like she depended on them to do better, to work harder. You could say she was an independent woman who liked taking care of herself—and that meant pills were a no-no. She took them as rarely as possible.

Zoey glanced at Dakota, and knew he was looking up at her through the hood. She smiled warmly, stood up, and offered him her hand to help him stand up.

He hesitated, but took her hand and stood up without her help. The grin on Zoey's face widened. _So he had a sense of pride? _

"Where's the next safe room?" Zoey asked, letting her hair down to comb through it. It was tangled and getting greasy. "Do you think we could find some showers or something?

"If there aren't many zombies out there," Louis confirmed, "we'll take time to look for a shower by the next safe room. But we have to make sure we find it first. We can't risk our lives just to take a shower, even though," he grinned jokingly at Francis, "people are starting to reek."

"Hey!" Francis shot back, grinning. "Have you smelled yourself?"

"Both of you smell like shit." Bill chimed in bluntly, stuffing the usual thing into his mouth with a smirk. "I got used to it; I'm sure you can do the same."

Zoey combed back her hair to put in the usual ponytail. Her hair was getting longer, it was true. She would have to cut it the next time she saw a knife or scissors. She wouldn't want flowing hair—it could get caught on something while she ran. Better to survive than look pretty.

Zoey chuckled under her breath, recalling memories from high school. Remembering how girls took hours to do their "beautiful" hair, while Zoey just brushed hers. Zoey didn't even wear makeup back then—maybe occasional eyeliner when she felt like it. Now, Zoey hasn't even seen makeup since she was in college, and looking pretty hasn't even crossed her mind. Who cares about looking good when you're fighting for your survival on a daily basis?

Definitely not Zoey.

"I'm not sure what the weather's like." Louis said, peering out through the door. "But it can't be bad."

"I don't hear rain." Francis agreed gruffly.

"Last night you snored." Bill said to Francis. "Snored so loud that it was hard to sleep. I swear, it was like an opera."

"I can't help it." Francis protested, chuckling. "How _do_ people snore? Why do we do it?"

"Guys," Louis said, and something in his tone made everyone listen, "I hear a witch."

Everyone grew deadly silent, listening closely for the cries. Zoey heard her, far off, crying. For what reason Zoey didn't know. Witches weren't bad, unless you provoked them. Then, you were a dead man. No doubt about it.

"If we run into her," Louis started.

"We avoid her; turn off all flashlights and walk around her." Zoey finished, knowing the drill. She looked at Dakota. "Hear that? If we see a witch—the special infected that cry, we need to _avoid_ her." She hesitated, and then looked at Louis. "Wait. Do you think she'd attack him?"

"I don't think so." Louis said uncertainly. "He is a hunter, after all."

"I think she'd attack anything." Bill said. "The Tank attacks anything that gets in his way—the witch attacks anything that bothers her."

Zoey agreed, "True." She was then compelled to tell her group about her discovery last night, but decided to wait on it. A shower sounded really good right now.

Without another discussion, they exited the safe house.

* * *

><p>There weren't many zombies in this subdivision. They encountered an occasional Smoker, but Hunter's and Boomer's seemed to not like this part of town. They reached the destination in no time, before sunset even came, and found the safe house.<p>

It was nice to have a break after getting killed yesterday.

Zoey set down her gun on the table right when they walked into the room and announced, "I will find showers here."

"Not without a gun." Francis said, pointing at her gun.

"I know that." Zoey said. "I'll come back once I find them." With high hopes, Zoey rushed out of the safe house, high and alert once more outside the safety the house provided. She didn't protest when she felt a presence behind her. Dakota.

"When was the last time you took a shower?" Zoey asked in a whisper, pausing. "Not saying that you smell or anything."

Dakota, of course, didn't respond. He just followed her silently, seeming just as alert as her. He looked like he was hunting—except this time he wasn't hunting a human; he was keeping an eye out for his own kind.

They looked throughout the building for awhile, finding no zombies. The whole place must be cleared.

Or someone was already here.

The thought struck her powerfully. Could that be the reason why there weren't many zombies? Zoey's mind instantly went to the other group she ran into. She honestly hoped they weren't here—she didn't particularly like them.

She jumped when a noise came from above her. The pipes.

_Water_.

Smiling, Zoey took off running up the stairs, feeling Dakota right behind her. She ran down the hallway, and knew the shower was behind a door. She opened it—only to scream.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Rochelle shouted, sitting on the toilet. She quickly covered herself, and Zoey flinched into Dakota, covering her eyes.

"I'm so sorry!" Zoey said hysterically, slamming the door shut in the process. She paused for a moment, and then asked through the door, "Are there showers here?"

"Yes." Rochelle responded, a little embarrassed. "Next door there's a shower room. Eight stalls. But don't walk in—everyone else is taking a shower."

"Sorry," Zoey apologized again, hoping her loudness wouldn't attract zombies. She turned to Dakota and said, "We'd better tell the others."

* * *

><p>Everyone in Zoey's group was overjoyed at the sound of a working shower. They all hurried upstairs to where the showers were, and Zoey was surprised to see the group was gone. Weird.<p>

Still, she enjoyed her shower. She showered alone, after telling Dakota over a hundred times that she needed her privacy. He went off with Bill and Francis, while Louis was looking over a mad he had found.

The water was warm and refreshing. Zoey even found some shampoo hanging on the stall. She laughed when she heard Francis tell her that Dakota almost took a shower with his clothes on, and Francis had to tell him that you had to take a shower naked. Shockingly, Dakota undressed and took a shower.

Sometimes Zoey had to remind herself that Dakota was a zombie. He acted so human at times that it was hard to remember.

She knew that she was going to tell her friends what she discovered last night. She just had to think of a way to gradually say it—not just blurt it out.

It would be nice if a cure was found. Zoey frowned wistfully. It would be very nice…

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry it took me so long to update. School has been a total killer. Anyway, let me know what you thought of the chapter! And thank you all so much for the reviews.

Also, I wrote a story that's Dakota's POV. It's called "Predator", and you can obviously find it on my page xD


	13. Chapter 13

"So," Bill stated gruffly, stuffing a cigar into his mouth, "just you and me, huh?"

Dakota, Francis, and Louis all went to get food from around the area once the area was considered safe. Zoey always felt on the edge when she was separated from her group, so she was pacing the safe room, a gun safely in her hands. Weird. She wasn't _as_ worried as she would be. Perhaps it was because they had Dakota with them?

Still.

Bill smoked his cigar, the recognizable smell of the smoke making Zoey turn away. It reminded her of a Smoker.

Bill was almost like a fatherly figure, in a weird kind of way. Zoey honestly didn't mind being stuck alone with him, since it wasn't awkward when it was silent.

When a few minutes of pacing passed, Zoey sat against the wall, trying not to worry. _They'll be fine_. Still, she grasped the gun in her hand and listened intently for any signs of trouble.

"Have you ever once considered joining the army?" Bill asked, catching Zoey's attention.

Zoey never once thought of joining the army. Of course she knew that if her filmmaking career didn't work out, or her police career, the military was always her last option. She didn't put much thought into it, which she still didn't know why. She was probably more interested in movies and films and games.

"You'd be really good at it." Bill said. A compliment from Bill is _very_ rare, so Zoey couldn't hide her grin. "You're always focused and can think quickly."

"Thanks." Zoey said, feeling surprised. What was with the sudden compliments?

"You're also young." Bill said quietly, with a hint of jealousy. They drifted off into a comfortable silence, with both of them thinking. Zoey didn't know what Bill was thinking; but she knew what she was thinking.

Dakota.

She wondered once more if he was human after all. It was such a bizarre case that she wondered if she should stop thinking about it altogether. Perhaps she got her hopes up. But…_is_ it possible?

Bill's a practical guy. He's Zoey's reality checker—since he's so blunt and all. Zoey wanted to ask him about Dakota. To let him know her discovery. Maybe it was because she just wanted to tell someone—to get it out of her system. Girls were like that. They liked to talk to people; not necessarily to find an absolute solution, but just to talk about it. It made them feel better, sometimes. Boys always wanted a final answer to fix it, which explained why girls and boys don't get along most of the time.

Zoey didn't beat around the bush; she got right to the point. "Bill, I think Dakota is part human."

She could feel Bill's gaze strike on her, heavily. She felt him studying her, and could almost hear his brain churning inside. He exhaled deeply, smoke invading the room again. Zoey suddenly wished she hadn't said anything. Great. Now he's going to think she's going crazy or something. _Perhaps I am…_

"What makes you say that?" Bill asked carefully.

"Multiple things. The way he acts. He…showed me his face last night. Without the hood. One of his eyes was definitely infected, but his other eye looked completely normal; human." Zoey said. "Sometimes I feel like he's _in there_; like he has some kind of control, just not total control." She gritted her teeth, running her hand through her wet hair. It still hadn't dried fully from the shower. "It's bugging the hell out of me. I _want_ to know."

"I can believe he's part human." Bill said. "He acts like it, but also acts like a zombie. Yes he hasn't attacked anyone, but has he ever attacked you?"

"No." Zoey said quickly. "He's never once even tried."

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up, Zoe." Bill said genuinely, a tone he seldom used. "You're smart, so I'll take your word. But be careful around him. You never know; if he's not in total control, that hunter inside of him could be the death of you."

Zoey swallowed nervously, Bill's words echoing in her mind. "I'll be careful."

"Not many things make sense in this world anymore." Bill said. "Of course, before all this, things still didn't make sense. But once this infection came, anything rational went down the drain. Things that were just make-believe are now on our front door steps."

"Zombies were fictional creatures." Zoey agreed. "I've played games with them, a lot." She remembered all the zombie games she used to play—ranging from one to the other.

"But all I know is that even though the world went to shit," Bill said with another inhalation of his cigarette, "we haven't. And I intend to keep it that way."

He sent a meaningful look to Zoey, and she quickly looked away.

* * *

><p>"We found a cupboard full of canned foods." Louis explained as they entered the safe room. He was carrying an armload of canned goods, and Francis carried the rest. Dakota filed into the room, silent as usual. He took his normal place next to Zoey.<p>

"Beans?" Bill asked, brightening up. Bill liked beans, for whatever reason Zoey did not know. Zoey didn't mind canned foods; they were better than rotten food, even though they weren't cooked. There was one time the group made a bonfire—when there were no zombies for miles—and ate a _cooked_ meal. It was amazing. But Zoey wasn't picky about what she ate; as long as her body got what it needed then she was fine.

"Are you hungry?" Zoey asked Dakota while everyone else crowded around Francis and Louis, choosing what they wanted to eat. Zoey wondered if Dakota would eat human food. If not, then did he even get hungry?

Dakota was quiet for a few seconds, and as more seconds passed by, Zoey took that for a no. "Oh, well just let us know when you're hungry."

"Here Zoey." Bill brought back Zoey a can of green beans and chicken broth. Her stomach growled in hunger. That sounded good. Bill had two cans of beans—and looked pretty content. Everyone actually seemed pretty content. Maybe it was because they found food and had a break from zombies. A break was always nice.

Zoey sat against the wall, opening the can of green beans. She always did like green beans, even though most of her friends hated them. Dakota stood over her, silent as ever.

"After we eat," Louis said, "we'll move on. We can't stay here forever."

Zoey really wanted to find a place to stay. Living like this wasn't for fun—if only they could find a place that was deserted. Settling down sounded _really_ nice after all these days of running around, risking your life every second of the day and being terrified at night. Zoey inwardly dreamed about settling down and _starting a life_, if a new life could be started. When this first happened, Zoey had to admit that she did have fun killing the zombies. Though she was depressed for a few weeks since her parent's death (and her friends), she couldn't help but find excitement enjoyable. She never feared adventure.

"I say we go to the west," Zoey said, savoring the taste of green beans. "And find an abandoned farm. It would be nice to settle down."

"It would take a long time to head west." Francis said with a shrug. "But I think it would be worth it. This traveling around is getting old, you know? It would be nice to actually sleep without nothing but animals around."

"I agree, but the west is a delicate manner." Louis said. "The climate and land is harsh. In the cities, there's more food."

"But in the country we could hunt for _real_ food." Zoey said.

Louis replied, "Yeah, if the food isn't infected. We don't know if animals carry the infection with them or not. All the animals we've come across hasn't attacked us, but who knows if they have the infection in them? It might not be smart to hunt."

"But if we go somewhere deserted I think it would be fine." Francis said. "There won't be many zombies. In the cities, there's an endless amount. Plus, all the city has for us is canned food. Those get old, too, try to keep in mind. They won't last forever."

"Just remember that the deserted parts of the west are mostly north." Louis said. "The temperature will be _harsh_. The winters will be terrible, and with no electricity it could even kill us. But I do like the idea of hunting for food instead of relying on canned goods." He paused. "I think we should head west."

"We all have the infection." Bill said crustily. "Remember? We just don't carry the symptoms or whatever. Even if we eat a deer that's carrying it, I don't think we'd turn into one of them. It's like we're immune to the side effects, even though it's still in us."

Louis nodded at that. "I forgot about us all carrying it."

"Plus," Bill motioned to Dakota, "we've been around him. None of us are any different."

Zoey narrowed her eyes. Why did he have to bring Dakota in this?

"But what if he does change us?" Francis asked the question everyone's probably been wondering. "Think about it. We let our guard down around the infected because he doesn't want to eat us, and since our guard is down, that could get us killed. We won't think they're as dangerous."

Zoey said quickly, "He's different."

"We can see that. But what about the others? I've never seen one like him." Francis crushed his can with his hand, wiping at his mouth. "Why is it only him? What makes him so special?"

Zoey was about to smart off to Francis when she felt someone begin softly stroking her head. A little surprised, she looked up to see Dakota gently running his hands through her wet hair. From her angle, she could see his eyes, and they were staring down at her. She felt instantly calm from his soothing touch, and she didn't have to hold off the remark—she silenced herself upon will. Zoey couldn't remember the last time someone's played with her hair like this. It was very relaxing. And Dakota did it in such a subtle way that nobody else noticed.

Zoey's eye met Bill's, and she wondered if he would tell him her discovery. But he only shot her a small, knowing smile, and went back to eating his beans. Zoey was highly grateful for that.

* * *

><p>"So this is the plan," Louis was saying later on in the day. The group was ready to head out again, this time West, to the next safe house. "We're heading West now."<p>

"Awesome." Francis said, nudging Zoey. "I've never been anywhere but Northeast."

Bill grunted. "I've been everywhere." He put another cigar in his mouth, even though it wasn't lit. He did that often.

"Ready?" Zoey whispered to Dakota. He only silently stared at her through the hood, and Zoey felt her cheeks burn when he reached for some stray strands of her hair, and he gently twiddled with it. By then her hair was up, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth from the affectionate gesture.

Behind Zoey, Bill noticed the action. He smiled, cocking his gun. "I say we get the hell out of here."

They exited through the building, finding it empty again, and went off into the streets. Zombies were wandering aimlessly, some sleeping; some searching for some kind of food, but they all dropped everything when they noticed the group's presence. This was bad news to Zoey. If they were _this_ "bored", that meant they haven't seen humans in awhile. That means that there weren't many humans left in this area.

Zoey shot one woman in the head and took a moment to look around, seeing the broken down buildings that were once to full of life. She saw a weed breaking a crack through the sidewalk and knew civilizations for humans would have to be put on hold—for now. But perhaps somewhere there were humans; a civilization/life in the making. That brought her hope, and Zoey followed behind her friends, passing by an ant pile. She remembered she used to break them down when she was a child, just for fun. She would never have time to mess around like that again, unless they found a safe place.

But was there any _safe_ place?

Dakota jogged beside her, and he made it look so easy with his long, lanky legs. She supposed they were jogging too slowly for him to use his four legs. That was probably for fast-paced running.

The only reason why the group has survived this long was because when they found their first safe room, they came across a map. That map showed detailed areas with safe houses. Only bad thing was that it was only in three states. The map went no further than the state after the one they were in. Pretty soon they wouldn't be able to depend on a map; they'd have to really _find_ shelter.

Everything was going smooth, until the ground started shaking. The entire group took shelter behind some cars, and looked through the windows. There, a large figure was running towards them. That figure was none other than a _tank_.

_Oh my god_, Zoey thought, a sheer thought of terror racing through her. She hated tanks.

Everyone in the group wasted no time shooting at the huge figure. He ran like a gorilla, his huge fists pounding into the ground viciously. The special infected let out a snarl, picked up a car, and chunked it like Zoey would with a pebble. Zoey watched as Bill and Francis ran from the car, just before the car the tank threw crashed into it. Zoey then noticed gas fell from the car's engine, and she shouted, "Run! Gas!"

Everyone ran the opposite direction of the tank (and the car) and as the tank continued running towards them, the car exploded, flames catching onto the tank. The tank didn't slow down; he continued running towards them, even though they knew they would be safe. The fire would stop him eventually.

Sure enough, the tank collapsed halfway to the group. His body was still burning, and there was a great trail of blood behind him. The group was on high alert because this noise would definitely attract—

"Fuck!" Bill cursed when a Smoker caught his leg. He was thrown off his feet, accidentally dropping his gun, and being dragged towards a few trees. Zoey reacted quickly and targeted the Smoker, shooting him before he could drag Bill to him. Bill cussed a little, getting to his feet.

"We need to keep moving," Louis said, his dark eyes glancing around. "This is definitely going to attract more of them."

Zoey checked for Dakota, and found him right next to her. She didn't hesitate to grab his hand, and they began running with the group. Zoey felt a quick reassurance of safety when she felt Dakota's grip on her hand tighten.

They all moved further into the city, with the safe house just a few blocks down, until Zoey heard the one noise that made her insides curl in horror.

A hunter. And it wasn't Dakota.

* * *

><p>AN:

Wow! It's been a LONG time! I cannot tell you guys how sorry I am about the LONG update D: I've been super busy, like fosho. But I LOVE this story, so I HAD to update! From now on (since it's almost summer) I'll update MUCH faster. Thanks for being patient and THANK YOU all for the wonderful reviews :D D :D

Erin: Don't worry about the spelling errors :) I don't care about them in a review! I would LOVE it if you drew something for this story, and don't worry about writing discriptions down. Please do so if it helps you draw :))) Hahaha thanks for all the reviews :)


	14. Chapter 14

Zoey froze when she heard the familiar growl, and her chest was full of cold fear that gripped her heart and paralyzed her legs. Visions of past encounters with hunters flashed before her eyes as she raised her gun, feeling herself begin to panic.

Dakota noticed Zoey freeze, and stood loyally by her side. The rest of the group moved along, not knowing what was taking place and shot at zombies that seemed to be coming from all directions.

Meanwhile, Zoey was searching high and low for the hunter. She could feel her arms trembling in fear.

"Dakota," When she remembered who was with her, Zoey didn't hesitate to reach out and take his grimy, supposedly dangerous hand, "don't let me go." Instantly, his claws enveloped her hand and seemed to cradle her smaller and delicate fingers. Zoey felt all the safer when he held her hand firmly, as if offering reassurance. She instantly felt a wave of relief wash over her, and her hands stopped trembling and her heart rate slowed. Taking a deep breath, Zoey picked up her gun and kept a sharp eye out for the hunter.

She broke hands with Dakota when they jogged to catch up with the rest of the group. They were now approaching a tall building, where according to Louis, was where the safe house was located. Zoey felt herself want to work harder, and looked forward to reaching the safe house; it had been a long day.

A loud growl erupted from next to Zoey, coming from Dakota. The entire group paused in front of the metal double doors to see a shadow come from the roof—the hunter—and he would've landed directly on Zoey if not for Dakota. He crouched low, and caught the other hunter in mid air. In a flash of fast moving limbs, they fell to the floor and were fighting like two vicious dogs. Zoey couldn't move in as the others did; she had to stay if Dakota needed help.

But he needed no help.

Dakota was the offensive one, with the other hunter on his back and completely vulnerable. Zoey watched in horror as Dakota ripped into the hunter's stomach, blood coating his claws and drenching his clothes.

"Come on, Zoey!" Bill shouted from inside the building. "There's a horde coming!"

Zoey looked over her shoulder just in time to see the horde approach. She lost sight of Dakota—who was still tearing the other hunter apart—because she took off running when a zombie was suddenly to her right and almost took a bite of her arm. She didn't know where to go—but she knew that it was _never_ smart to corner yourself in a horde. Luckily, there was a whole street to run to.

She shot as many zombies as she could find, even punched as many that were in close rang. But soon enough, she knew she was becoming outnumbered and regretted staying behind with Dakota. Dakota needed no help at all. Now, here she was, being attacked left from right.

"Pipe bomb!" Louis shouted from a window above, and Zoey heard the relieving sound of the bomb as it hit the floor. She didn't waste her time running as the zombies crowded around the bomb, fighting and hitting each other for no reason. However, she only ran 10 feet before she was swept off her feet and on Dakota's back. He easily leapt to the window, catching Louis off guard.

"Careful there," Louis said, jumping back as Dakota crawled in. Louis's eyes examined all the blood dripping from Dakota. "Hopefully they have a washer here. And a shower, no offense."

Dakota had no response. He only crouched down so Zoey could get off, and she made sure to stay as close to him as possible. _He just saved my life…_Even though she was being too considerate; she knew that if the hunter had got her she'd need a major health pack right now. Dakota saved her the time and effort.

"Thanks," Zoey whispered genuinely when they were alone in the small room. Even though Dakota was saturated with blood, she hugged him. When she pulled away, her jacket too was full of blood. But did she care?

No.

* * *

><p>Unlike the other ones, this safe room was <em>huge<em>.

"Holy shit," Bill breathed when he saw it. "This is bigger than my living room."

"This is bigger than my house," Francis commented, lowering his gun. Zoey closed the safe door and her eyes widened as she surveyed the room.

No, it wasn't a room. It was a round area with a hallway running to the left and to the right. The area along, with all the ammo and health needs was bigger than any safe house they had ever found. The floor was even cleaner than usual.

"Someone's been here," Louis said upon realization. "There are people alive."

"There's a radio right here." Bill said, pointing to the desk. "And it looks like it's in good condition."

"Everyone get patched up," Louis said, setting his gun on the ground. He rolled up his white sleeves. "I'll try to contact somebody."

"Dakota," Zoey said, turning to her silent companion, "let's see if we—"

"If ya look at that!" Bill exclaimed, in one of the rooms. "They have a bathroom!"

"And a laundry room!" Francis said from another.

"They even have showers! And a _bathtub." _

_"_There's gotta be at least 5 rooms in here."

Zoey walked past Bill, who was moving around the radio signal, listening intently for some kind of voice, and made her way to Francis. Dakota followed silently behind her. "Can I wash Dakota's jacket? And mine? They're full of blood."

"Of course." Francis looked like a kid on Christmas morning. He was overflowing with excitement! "Can you believe it? Maybe there are people left!" He patted Zoey on the back and stepped out, heading further into the hallway.

"Can I see your jacket?" Zoey asked Dakota, taking off hers. "I'll wash it for you."

Dakota just stood there, staring at her through the shadows of his jacket.

"Or…I can do it for you." Zoey offered him a shy smile and unzipped his jacket. The zipper was a deep crimson from the seeping blood, and she hoped some of it—at least—would come off. She slid the jacket off Dakota's shoulder until she remembered his face.

He flinched away when she tried to lower the hood and seemed to hide his face with his hands.

Zoey was quick to react. She gently grabbed his wrists and tried prying them from his face, to no avail. He held them firmly there, his face hidden from view.

"Dakota," She whispered, knowing it was just the two of them. "Don't be ashamed of your face. My friends don't care if you have a few…flaws. I just need to wash your jacket—it's covered in blood!"

He didn't move. It looked like he'd die in that position if he had to.

However, Zoey matched his persistence.

She hugged him around the waist, and laid her head on his chest, trying to see through his fingers. "You have nothing to hide from us. So what if you have two different eyes? I think it's unique." She softened her voice, trying to make him understand. "Look, your jacket is drenched in blood. It's gonna start to smell, alright? Just let me wash it. It'll be as good as new; just like it was before, maybe even better. Please?"

One of his hands dropped to his side, and he lowered his other one slowly. Zoey could see the outline of his chapped lips, and the rough tone of his nose. However, despite all these flaws, all she could wonder is why he would want to hide them?

"There you are," Zoey encouraged with a smile. She held his hands as he shook off his hood, revealing his eyes.

Zoey saw her reflection in the zombie eye, and she looked into Dakota's human eye to see full emotion. She couldn't figure out _what kind_ of emotion; but she knew it was full of it.

"Amazing," She marveled, feeling as if she was really looking at Dakota now, and felt herself blush when she realized he was staring right back at her. Clearing her throat, Zoey slid the jacket fully off Dakota and tossed it into the dryer. Just as shocking as this place was, she found some detergent and began washing. This place even had electricity! She did recall seeing a generator near the safe door.

"I'm taking a bath." Bill announced through the walls, and Zoey heard a door close.

Just as Zoey turned around, she found herself looking right at Dakota's chest. She felt his arms wrap around her, and felt him tugging her closer to him. Zoey—of course—happily complied, and wrapped her arms around him. Suddenly it felt like the rest of the world didn't exist; like for this one moment they were the only ones who existed. Who mattered. And Zoey had to admit that it was a pretty good feeling. She felt like she was floating on some kind of cloud—like she was weightless, able to do _anything_ with Dakota there. Uplifted; hopefully.

She looked over Dakota's facial features, picturing him as a human. It was so hard, with all the cuts and scratches on his face. But she could see the human planes on his face, and knew he was a handsome guy.

But when Zoey noticed his human eye examining her own face, as she was examining his, she bashfully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, breaking eye contact. She sighed in contentment and laid her head on his chest, hearing a dull heartbeat. _Zombies have heartbeats? That would make sense—since in order to move, they need blood._ _Still…who would've thought a zombie had a heart beat? _

Zoey looked up at his face again, and her eyes strayed to his lips. Once like before, she had the sudden urge to kiss him. But would it be healthy to kiss a zombie? When was the last time he brushed his teeth? But as she continued to stare at them, wondering if they were warm or cold, the questions just melted away, and made her realize how much they didn't matter. So what if he had a little bad breath? He was _Dakota_. Nothing a little toothpaste won't fix.

"Guys!" Louis's shout startled Zoey, and she flinched away even though Dakota kept his arms around her, firm as ever. He looked around quickly, in alarm, when he felt Zoey flinch. She even swore he pulled her closer to him as he checked the room. "Get over here! Quick!"

Zoey tore herself from Dakota's arms and raced out into the room. Louis was bent over the desk, talking into the radio. "Hello? Are you still there?"

"Are you a survivor?" Zoey heard a voice ask through the static. Her eyes widened and she instinctively reached for Dakota's hand in excitement. Bill only smiled at that, and Zoey didn't even notice.

"Yes, we're survivors." Louis replied, heavily annunciating his words so the other person could understand him. He told the guy their location.

"We could send a helicopter to get you," The voice replied. "We have a facility here in Colorado, at the base. We can help you."

Zoey's smile was so big that she thought it was going to rip her cheeks. This was the first time she ever had hope return with good news; _real_ good news.

She glanced up at Dakota, and saw his scarred face and zombie eye. The zombie eye was staring at Louis with a somewhat _hungry_ look, yet with a distant, detached look that all zombies held. Zoey lowered her head, the smile disappearing from her face. What would they do with Dakota? Shoot him? Surely they wouldn't let a zombie live since they'd be worried about diseases and such.

"The nearest station to you is a town over." The voice said. "We can stop there and get you the hell out of there."

"Thank you!" Louis said shakily, overcome with happiness. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem. Do you know of anyone else out there?"

"Not at the moment."

Zoey knew about the other group she met, but decided she'd tell them about them later. Besides, she didn't even know where they were at the moment.

"And don't you worry—we have a locked off area with safety for miles since it's under surveillance. We also have an army if anything big comes." The voice said reassuringly. "You won't have to worry about this any longer."

Zoey was smiling again, picturing a vast plain of nothing but grass that stretched on for miles. No zombies, no towering buildings, just _freedom_. Nothing to worry about but patching up her life.

This would all be over. She could start a life?

_But what about Dakota?_

Surely, if they knew about Dakota, they'd shoot him. Zoey knew she wouldn't allow that to happen.

"We can get there tomorrow, around 5 in the evening." The man continued. "With a helicopter. How many people are with you?"

Louis took a moment to count. "Five."

"We can fit you all in with no problem. I suggest you get there as soon as possible, we can't wait for you long unless a horde comes." The voice suddenly went out as the radio seemed to snap out of its angle. Louis, instead of getting frustrated, was grinning from ear to ear. Everyone else was, even Bill!

"We're getting out of here!" Louis said. "There's a civilization over there. We're _saved_.

* * *

><p>Zoey and Dakota were lying on a bed. Zoey managed to persuade Dakota to take a shower (he didn't smell bad now) and even found him some toothpaste. Now that his jacket was washed (even though it still had some blood stains), he looked much better. She had it in her mind that she would try to kiss Dakota—if he would let her.<p>

"Can you believe it?" Zoey whispered, staring up at the ceiling. Dakota was lying next to her, staring at the ceiling, too, through his hood. "We did what we never thought we'd do. We found people."

Dakota didn't reply. That didn't shock Zoey, since he's never spoken a word before. His face didn't even change, but she knew the Dakota inside was as happy as she was. Well, she thought.

"This means," Zoey rolled over onto her side, facing Dakota, "we can live peacefully, without having to worry about…zombies. No offense. I mean, I thought this was fun, killing zombies, in the beginning. But it all got old after awhile, you know? And then to have people I love die from it sucked after awhile." Zoey thought about her mother, and remembered how her mother killed her father when she turned into a zombie. It all felt like yesterday—as if no time had passed at all. And now, suddenly, there was _real_ hope; a real future in store for them.

"Just think about it—space to move around. Clean toilets and sinks. Clean showers. _Cooked_ food. _Clean_ water. New Clothes." Zoey smiled just at the thought. "Maybe, someday, we can get rid of all the zombies and start over again."

Zoey scooted closer, touching Dakota's cheeks. He moved closer instantly, his legs entangling with her own. Looking into his human eye, Zoey saw an array of strong emotion and knew he was as excited as she was. Her smile widened at that, and her eyes flickered to his lips. When she looked back up, his eye was staring at her lips, too.

"Dakota," Zoey breathed, feeling intoxicated, "kiss me."

He moved closer, but it was like something stopped him from kissing her. Without a moment of hesitation or thought, Zoey closed the gap in between them and their lips met.

She kissed him deeply, and wound her fingers in his hair. Zoey was pleased when Dakota responded, kissing her back with a somewhat animalistic force—as if he was _forcing _himself to do it. Maybe he was fighting back against the zombie part of him, trying to gain control? Who knew, but all Zoey knew, was that she liked it?

And then—suddenly—Dakota's eyes widened both of his eyes. Zoey opened her eyes, seeing the true shock and somewhat terror in them, before they closed and Dakota went limp in her arms, as if he had just died.

* * *

><p>AN:

Whew! Long time no see huh? Well from now on I can update regularly, because this story has, like, maybe five more chapters left before it's over D: I know, sad. But I'm loving how it's going, and I actually have it all planned out! Normally I never plan things out for stories, but this time I did.

Anyway, I want to thank Erin for the AMAZING fan art she made for this story. It really is awesome people. Check them out, they're on my profile.

And I want to thank AssassinHunter for ALL the reviews she gave me. Thank you so much!


	15. Chapter 15

At first, Zoey could only stare at Dakota's motionless body in disbelief. Her eyes felt like they had popped out of her head, and she still felt his lips upon hers. But then she remembered the look in _both_ of his eyes—that look of terror. It was then the dire situation took its effect on her.

A strangled choking sound came from her, one she had never heard before, and before she knew it, she was on top of Dakota, examining his face. All she could think was _is he dead_?

Panic was bubbling in her chest, threatening to overcome her train of thought. Zoey even felt tears prickling at her eyes, and another cry came from her lips—this one a panicked, helpless sob.

"Dakota," She croaked, her voice cracking. Her lips quivered, and she tried to calm down. Back in high school, in her health class, they went over how to do CPR one day, but she never really paid attention. Even if she did pay attention, she wouldn't remember how to do it. Even her father, who was the police man, tried teaching her the tactics of situations like this. Sadly, she never took them seriously.

This was one of those situations, and she was one of the people her father told her about. The helpless people who could save somebody's life, but didn't know how or what to do.

But what happened to him?

Breathing rapidly, Zoey turned Dakota onto his stomach and saw that nothing was stabbed through him. She quickly checked for any signs of bleeding and found nothing. He wasn't injured.

So what happened to him?

She flipped him back over, taking the jacket off of her back. In her white tank top, Zoey got on her knees next to Dakota. She rubbed her hands together, some tears rolling down her cheeks. _Don't panic. People who panic make matters worse. I have to stay calm and-and—_

She took a moment to lose control; covered her face in her hands and let out a desperate, scared, _terrified_ sob. What would she do without Dakota? Even though she barely knew him, she knew he was a _really_ good friend of hers. And she also had developed feelings for him in the small span of time she spent with him.

_Damnit! _Zoey thought, inspecting Dakota's face. _Think straight, Zoey! Don't get all hysterical! _

Trying her best to stay calm, Zoey put her ear against Dakota's chest. She tried to quiet her breathing, and listened deeply for a heartbeat.

_Nothing._

Her eyes widened from the horrible truth.

_He-he's….dead. _

Dead.

The word made Zoey go completely silent. She knew that when someone's heart beat stopped completely that they were gone. But what about shock treatment? Could she find some cable and—

No. It was over. Dakota was….

Dead.

Instead of crying hysterically like she felt like doing, Zoey stared at Dakota's features. His jacket was clean from the washer, and his hood fell onto the bed, revealing his whole face. His eyes were wide—both of them, and _both_ of them were completely lifeless. They were the same. One wasn't human, and one wasn't zombie-like. They were the eyes of a dead man.

Could this be real?

Was this a dream?

Why did it happen so fast? So suddenly?

Perhaps this was a new discovery. Maybe special infected had a short life span. Maybe Dakota just…died because it was his time.

Zoey gently closed his eyes, not knowing what else to do. She felt beyond hopeless. Here she was, moments ago, talking to Dakota about a life ahead of them, and now he was…gone.

"Zoey?" Bill's voice sounded at the door. "I heard some crying. What's going on?" His voice was gentle. He must've thought Zoey had a nightmare.

She didn't respond. She only stared down at Dakota's face, wishing she could see those green eyes open again. _This has to be a dream…this can't be real. _

The only time Zoey had felt like this—felt this detachment from the world, was the first day, after her parents were killed by the zombies. She spent the first night in her parent's house's attic, hiding away from the world. She didn't sleep; she didn't eat; she did _nothing_ but stare blankly at the wall. Outside the window, she could hear screams and shouting. The ground shook every now and then from gunfire and explosives. She honestly didn't know how long she was up there—how long she stared at that wall, but she snapped out of it when she heard someone enter her house.

"I'm telling you," Bill's voice had said quietly beneath her, "there's nobody here. I checked from the outside. None of _them_."

"Alright. I trust you." Louis's voice responded. Zoey heard a door close, and she snapped from her daze. Were they burglars?

At first she decided to stay up there, not to let them know she was there. But then she remembered the last thing her father said to her, and she knew she had to _survive_.

_"Damnit, Zoey. Do it! And once you do it, get out of here. Run and don't look back. I don't want to become one of those." _

So it was then Zoey seemed to get back to reality and joined Louis and Bill. From then on they added Francis to their group, and together, they tried to stay intact in this horrendous world that took over the one they once lived.

This was one of those moments. A moment when Zoey lost track of the _whole_ world. She must've been in a shock, for Bill saw the look on her face, and was instantly shaking her shoulders, trying to get her to look at him. He saw where she was looking, followed her eyesight, and saw what caused it. Dakota.

Dead.

* * *

><p>"She won't talk. She won't respond. I don't know what to do." Bill said, motioning to the room he was trying to sleep in before he walked in on Zoey.<p>

Louis rubbed his chin. "How did he…die?"

"I don't know. I checked his body and nothing could have caused it." Bill said. "I left his body in the room, on the bed. "I mean, he had no injuries that were bad enough to kill him."

"Well Zoey's in a shock." Louis concluded. "Try to get her to sleep, will you?"

"I'll try. But what're we going to do about tomorrow?"

"We leave tomorrow. It's final." Louis's expression was gentle. "We'll take Zoey—no matter what, with us. Even if we have to carry her. I just hope she snaps out of this before tomorrow. I mean, tomorrow's a big day for us. We'll finally be _safe_. It'll be the end of this."

"You have no idea how happy I am about that."

"She'll snap out of it. She'll have to." Louis smiled. "She's also strong. We both know that. She'll pull through."

"What're we going to do about Dakota?"

"We'll leave him where he is. It's too much of a risk to bury him, you know?"

"No, no, I completely agree with you."

"Awesome. Well, goodnight, Bill. See you in the morning."

"Yeah…you, too."

"Hey."

"Yeah?" Bill turned over his shoulder, seeing Louis smiling wide as ever.

"This is the last night we'll ever have to sleep in a safe house."

Bill couldn't help but return the smile. "I know."

* * *

><p>"I know how devastated you feel." Bill said to Zoey genuinely. He stared at the young woman's blank features, and her brown eyes staring at the wall. Her shoulders were slumped forward, and her head looked like it was hung over.<p>

"I don't know what happened to him, Zoe. Maybe it was just his time. Maybe he could only…be what he is for a few days. But all I know is he has no heart beat. He's dead. I know you've lost your parents, and you must be remembering what happened that night, but you _have_ to pull through. Dakota may be gone, but think about this: he's in a better place. Dakota must've been suffering like that. Did you see all the bruises he had? Like you told me, your father _asked_ you to shoot him. He didn't want to become one of _them_. I'll bet Dakota would've loved someone to shoot him before he became this, but I don't know his story. I don't know what happened to him. I don't know just who this Dakota guy was—whether he was a criminal or a well-around guy. But if your little theory is true, and he was inside that body, he must not have been living like you and me. I can't even imagine what that must've been like, you know? To be half dead, stuck to this earth. He must've wanted to just leave—to finally get out of here, but he couldn't. I know nothing about your relationship with him, but I can tell you two became very close. I know it hurts—believe me, I do. But I ask you to pull through for us. Don't be like this tomorrow. This is our _last _night living like this. Tomorrow night, at this same time, we might be in a comfy house, in a comfy, clean bed, with new clothes on after taking a shower with _shampoo_ and soap. Then we'll wake up in the morning, and be able to make breakfast. Can you imagine that? I almost forgot what it's like to actually…live normally." Bill took a moment to wonder if all of these promises would be as good as he remembered. "It's funny. We all probably took all those luxuries for granted. They weren't luxuries when we lived them; they were probably just overlooked. But this could've been a big lesson, in a way. We learned what we had, and what we took for granted." Bill coughed into his hand when he noticed even after everything he said, he got no response from Zoey.

"Tomorrow I want you to be happy." Bill said softer. "I don't want this loss to overshadow your happiness. I know this may sound harsh, but would you choose to be sad even when you achieve the one thing you've been wanting this entire time? True safety? You're going to see _real_ people tomorrow, Zoe!" Bill was happy to notice Zoey's eyes look at him. He knew now that she was listening. "And to be honest, Dakota wouldn't want you to be sad. He'd want you to be happy."

Zoey then let out a quiet sob, and she collapsed in Bill's arms, weeping quietly into his chest.

* * *

><p>Zoey couldn't sleep alone.<p>

Overcome with sudden misery, Zoey felt like she was hanging on a thin thread. She felt like she was on the brink of insanity.

Bill left her in his room to sleep, and went to sleep with Francis. However, every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the look in Dakota's eyes when he collapsed out of the blue. That would bring tears to her eyes, and she'd start crying again.

So, giving up, she snuck out of the room and made her way into the room with Dakota. The room was enveloped in darkness, but she, for once, found it comforting. She felt her way through the room, being careful not to fall over anything, and when she found the bed, she crawled next to Dakota's body and lay down.

It may be considered disrespectful to be with a dead body, but Zoey snuggled against Dakota's body and fell in a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>Zoey woke up to Louis shaking her shoulder, saying, "I can't believe you slept in here! Zoey!"<p>

She woke up, not having the energy to even speak, and stared at him. At the group's leader. Her eyes were dry from tears through the night, and her voice was hoarse from crying so much.

"We need to leave." Louis said urgently. "Now. It's already almost time for the helicopter to be there."

Zoey immediately responded with, "No. I'm staying."

Louis was speechless for a moment, but then he frowned and said, "Zoey. We need to leave. _Now_. We don't have time for this!"

"Let me in." Bill said, coming through the door. "Good morning, Zoey. Come on—get ready. Let's get the hell out of here."

Zoey's voice cracked as she said helplessly, "No. Not without Dakota." Deep in her mind, her mind urged her to go. But her heart wouldn't let her. She moved closer to Dakota, feeling comfort there. She did not want to leave him.

"Don't even joke like that!" Louis said.

"Come on, Zoe." Bill said patiently. "Time's ticking. We need to go."

"I'll stay." Zoey said firmly. "I can't just…_leave_ him here."

"He's dead." Bill said. "If he was alive, he'd _want_ you to go. We've been waiting for a moment like this! We can't just pass it up."

Zoey responded with a silent glare. She would _not_ leave Dakota.

"You're putting all of us in jeopardy." Bill said, knowing that was the only way he'd break through her stubbornness. "We want to go. But if you keep this up, we'll miss the chance."

Zoey grabbed Dakota's hand, knowing what she must do. She would have to go with him. Besides…he would want that, right?

Her hands trembled as she looked down at Dakota, and her expression softened with a fond smile. "I'm sorry…"

She then turned to Louis, and nodded. It was time for them to get the hell out of there.

* * *

><p>With as many zombies Zoey shot, she knew she wasn't doing her best. Normally she had quicker reactions, but every time she looked at a zombie, she wondered if they would eventually just drop dead. Is that even what Dakota did? Maybe he had a heart attack; she didn't know. All she knew was that he had no beating heart. But maybe it was so slow that she couldn't hear it?<p>

The possibility of him still being alive worried her. What if he woke up back in the safe house, and found everyone gone? She then knew that he would find her. He would do it. He was a hunter, after all. And if he found her in civilization, he'd be shot. So perhaps it was best if he was…gone. For good.

They were all nearing the landing spot with no problems, just zombie hordes here and there. They even saw a witch crying under a tree, as desperate as she always was. Zoey always wondered why a witch was so desperate. They _always_ cried, over something body else could figure out.

Bill laid his hand on Zoey's shoulder when the area was clear. He gave her a smile and asked, "You okay?"

Zoey forced a smile. "I've been better."

"Sorry that happened." Francis said, patting Zoey on the back. "But at least we're getting out of here."

"Yeah." Zoey grumbled. She wanted to add, "Without Dakota" but decided against it. She was ruining everyone else's day with her own problems. Maybe she should just cheer up, for everyone else's sake.

"The landing spot is on the roof of this building." Louis said, pointing to the roof. They broke into the building, finding it full of zombies, and fought their way into it. A boomer was behind a door, and threw up on Francis. He then had to use his health pack after the horde that came after him.

"Found a pipe bomb." Louis announced from one room.

"Pain pills," Bill announced from another.

Zoey found another pistol on a desk. She could use two instead of just one.

"It's just up those stairs." Louis said, pausing to give everyone a grin. "It was a pleasure to be with you guys."

"Same here." Francis replied.

"On with it!" Bill said with a grin.

Louis opened the door, and sunlight peered into the room. The group rushed forward, finding themselves on top of a flat roof. This was a landing spot—it had a red circle drawn neatly in the middle.

However, the helicopter wasn't here.

Zoey looked around, wondering why they weren't here yet. Hopefully they didn't break down.

"Guess their running late." Louis said cheerfully, pausing to smile at Zoey.

"Sorry if I'm being a party pooper, guys." Zoey said sullenly. "Just ignore me."

"Cheer up." Bill said. "This is the happiest moment of your life. Trust me."

Suddenly, Francis let out a groan when a blow was heard. Zoey looked just in time to see a man standing over Francis's unconscious body, holding a bar. She watched as another man grabbed Bill by the shoulders, and the other man hit him in the head with the bar. Bill fell to the ground, next to Francis. They weren't dead; they were knocked out.

Zoey backed up, preparing to run, but someone grabbed her from behind and whispered in her ear, "Oh, you're not going anywhere."

* * *

><p>AN:

Whoo! Don't kill me, alright? I have a few more chapters to go, so don't be making hasty guesses! :) I won't say anything, but I will say that this isn't what you think ;) you'll just have to wait 'till I update again.


	16. Chapter 16

Zoey flinched away, but froze when cold, sharp metal pressed against her neck. A knife. Her brown eyes widened in fear, and her heart rate accelerated. Someone was breathing into her ear.

"Move," The person whispered, "and you die. Don't think about struggling; we are trained fighters." It was a man; Zoey could tell.

She then focused on the other men, and realized their odd clothing. They wore skin tight jumpsuits—black from head to toe, revealing no skin or facial expression. Who the hell _were_ they?

"Who are you?" Zoey whispered, watching the men search her friend's pockets. They had black bags hung around their shoulders, and put everything they found inside of them. The guns, health packs, _everything_. Zoey knew they would be stranded and completely vulnerable without the essentials; so it took her much strength to say nothing.

"Do not be mad," The voice continued, strangely calm, as if trying to keep _her_ calm, "this is for our group. We're running low on supplies." It was then everything clicked. That voice; that calming, reassuring voice was the same on the radio. This was the same man that had once told them their fear was over.

"So you steal from others?" Zoey shook away her fear, and figured she'd rather die fighting. "You trick survivors into thinking they had help, and take everything they have? What if my friends don't wake up in time for something to find them?"

"They'll wake up. Besides, you'll watch over them." He increased the hold of her neck, and Zoey went silent. Her hands were trembling in pure fury. How hard it took to get all those supplies—only to have them taken away right in front of her! It was the hardest thing she had to do, to do nothing about it. But if she did, the man would surely kill her.

"You cowardly bastard." Zoey said with as much hatred she could muster. The men stood back up, walking casually over her friend's bodies as if they were nothing. They had all that they needed.

The man freed Zoey, and the first thing she did was run to her friends. She checked them all to see if they were still alive, and when she turned around, there was only one man standing there. He was watching her.

"Everyone does what they can to survive." The man said, tossing a rifle halfway towards Zoey. "Do what you can." He then jumped off the side of the roof, and Zoey knew he was gone.

And she was left, with only a health pack, pistol, and rifle with no idea how much ammo it even had.

* * *

><p>Zoey sat next to Bill's body, waiting for them to wake up. She stayed as quiet as possible so nothing would hear her, and prayed they couldn't smell her. If a horde came, there was no way she could defend herself and her friends.<p>

She felt numb. Backstabbed; betrayed. Hurt. She would've rather had someone stab her than this to happen. She should've been angry, but with one bad thing happening after another, all she could feel was defeat. She always wondered what else—who else was out there, but now she knew. Thieves. There was no such thing as a "good" person anymore. Even she was about to attack that man when she first saw him.

_Dakota._

She sighed, lying against Bill. She stared up at the gray sky, seeing thick clouds roll in. Oh how she hoped it wouldn't rain. If it did, her day would surely get worse. Where could she go? Back into the building?

She could hear the occasional moans of zombies below, and listened carefully for any special infected. By now, she knew their sounds by heart. A boomer sounded like he was about to throw up, a Smoker had a smoker cough, a tank let out a roar, and a hunter…

She felt her heart squeeze. Dakota…Just thinking about him made her all the more depressed. She would never see him again. Never see that red jacket or that green gentle eye of his. _Never_.

Zoey knew where she was to go next. Back to that safe house. It had supplies and all they needed. Once they got there, they could decide where to go. Plus, Dakota's body was there. At least she'd get to see him again…even if he was dead.

All she had to do was wait. And try to stop being so…down.

* * *

><p>"Damn," Was the first thing Bill said when he finally woke up. Louis and Francis were already up. Louis was bleeding on his forehead, and Francis was bleeding on the back. They both complained of massive headaches. Bill was bleeding right on his forehead, and it looked <em>extremely<em> painful. "What the hell happened?"

"We were tricked." Zoey said emotionlessly, helping Bill sit up. Louis was already standing up, looking a little tipsy.

"We should've known." Louis said with an undeniable expression of anger. "How stupid were we—to think someone would send a helicopter for us. To think of us, the survivors. Stupid." He touched his wound and winced. "How are you, Zoey?"

"They took our stuff for their own group." Zoey said, standing up. She sighed. "I'm fine. They let me stay conscious so I could look over you guys."

"They took our guns." Francis said.

"And our health packs." Bill grunted, standing up.

"At least they didn't kill us." Louis said, though he looked furious. "We…still need to look on the bright—"

"—how can we look on the bright side?" Zoey roared suddenly, her voice echoing throughout the neighborhood. She snapped. It finally happened. "They betrayed us! They lied to us, tricked us into thinking there was _hope_! How can we possibly look on the bright side? Where can we go next? West? What if the zombies there are worse? What if there's no safe place? We can't even trust anyone anymore." She quieted down when there was a lump in her throat, and she knew she'd start crying if she didn't stop then. Still, she continued, "We can't trust _anyone_ but us. The whole world went to shit."

Bill touched Zoey's shoulder, and she felt slightly comforted by this.

Francis looked like he was thinking the same thing Zoey did, and Louis looked helpless. "Look—what else can we do? If we give up, then we'll die."

Zoey said darkly, "Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad. Better than living like this."

"Hey!" Francis said helplessly. "Don't say that!"

"Zoey, don't ever say that." Louis said, pointing his finger at her. "When we first found you, you were anxious to kill some zombies. I even once thought you enjoyed it. But as time progressed, you seemed to _want_ to settle down. Don't give up that joy for hope; the feeling you get when you're closer to your goal. Please. Stay strong. It's…all we have left."

Bill added gently, "We can always say later on, that when the world went to shit, it didn't drag us with it. We stayed _who we are_, even though the world changed." He gave Zoey a smile. "Maybe we can't trust people anymore. So what? We can still trust each other."

"It wasn't a smart move jumping right into this." Louis admitted. "But…just the thought of being saved made us blind to the other possibilities. We never even considered this happening, right? It was a lesson. Mistake learned. From now on, we'll be more careful." He picked up the rifle from the ground and said, "Right now, let's just focus on getting back to the safe house. It's probably the closest one from here."

Like many times before, Zoey admired Louis's leadership skills; his yearning to always move along. Who knew she would've followed him around, even if he never had a _huge_ job in the real world? Who knew he could've made such a good leader?

Zoey looked around to her three friends, feeling fondness for them all. Each one of them was so comfortable to be around. It was then Zoey realized she loved them all like they were her own family. She never even thought she loved her own family this much, since there were so many complications. But here she was, realizing that this was also her family…a true family.

* * *

><p>At first, they tried to travel on the rooftops. Since the buildings were built close together, they could mostly jump from each one of them. However, when they reached a cross light, the distance was too great. They'd have to go to the ground and travel.<p>

Zoey had her pistol, and Louis had the rifle. Francis and Bill had only their fists for protection; this was going to be risky and nerve-wrecking.

The zombies noticed them immediately, but luckily, there was only a few. They were traveling at a steady, constant rate, and Louis said they'd be there in half an hour—45 minutes tops.

Zoey spotted a boomer waddling towards them, and she shot him. He splattered all over a building wall, but was too far to do any damage to anyone.

"Nice shot." Bill said, nudging Zoey with a grin.

She smiled back, the thrill of the game coming back to her. She liked feeling tough; bad-ass. Having the upper hand—independent. But every single time she blinked, she pictured Dakota, and that feeling was swept away. The pain was still raw, and she knew it would take time for her to get accustomed to it and "make room".

Francis let out a curse when a Smoker's tongue suddenly latched onto his ankle, and he was knocked to the ground. Right when the Smoker was dragging him; however, Zoey quickly aimed and shot the Smoker, who was standing 30 feet away on a rooftop. The Smoker let out a gargled cough as the bullet went through him and smoke erupted around him, the smoky smell reaching the group. They used their shirts as "oxygen masks".

Despite those two special infected, everything went well. They reached the safe house in 45 minutes, locked the door behind them, and decided they were safe…for the time being.

Would they ever be _truly_ safe?

* * *

><p>Zoey headed down the hallway after taking off her jacket, leaving her only in her white tank top. She knew exactly where she was going.<p>

_Dakota_.

She went to the room and hesitated. She could already feel the overwhelming grief settling in her stomach. The thought of losing him…forever. But it was already too late. He was gone.

She opened the door and let out a loud gasp.

"He's gone!" She exclaimed, quickly looking around the room. Everything looked like it had before. Perhaps someone came in here, found Dakota's body, and disposed of it? _They must've put him in the dumpster. _

Even though that was the right thing to do to a dead body, Zoey didn't like it. She wanted to see him again—even if he was just a body!

"What's wrong?" Bill asked behind her, looking over her shoulder. "Oh shit! His body—it's gone!"

"Someone's been here," Zoey whispered in realization. She was suddenly on full alert, her eyes taking in every single movement. She walked past Bill, who went in to inspect the room, and Zoey quietly went throughout the safe room, checking every room. Everything was exactly as it was before. The towels they used to wash up were still sitting on the washer, unfolded. The soap they had used was still sitting on the bathtub wall.

"I don't see anyone." Louis concluded, joining in. Francis was checking out the guns.

Francis said, "All the guns are still here."

"Then someone must've just stopped by." Zoey reasoned, not believing herself. "They found Dakota's…body and disposed of it."

"But why wouldn't they take ammo?" Louis asked. "Why would they leave it? Or the health packs? Even the pain pills? This doesn't make sense."

"I suppose his body just _walked_ off." Zoey retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I didn't say that." Louis said, noting her sarcasm. "I'm just saying that nobody has been here. It isn't possible. This place hasn't been _touched_. At all."

"Then what happened? Where did his body go?"

"I…don't know. This is just too—"

An abrupt knock at the safe door interrupted Louis and Zoey's conversation. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the door.

"Hey—you mind opening the door?"


	17. Chapter 17

The voice was male, but one Zoey did not recognize. Everyone watched as Louis unlocked the safe door, and everyone's eyes widened when the tall, lanky figure of Dakota walked in. His red jacket was still on—everything was the same, the hood; the stalk; _everything_. Just one thing:

He spoke.

Everyone was speechless. Zoey felt as if her heart had stopped. Even Louis took a step back, baffled beyond comprehension.

Everyone watched the only thing that was visible from the hood—his lips, twist into a small smile.

_"It's infine piacevole conoscervi tutti."_ Dakota's lips moved with the words, and everyone knew it wasn't English. To Zoey, it had a musical accent to the way he spoke, and she was wondering what he said.

Dakota's head tilted to the side and he cleared his throat. His voice was husky; scratchy. "I mean, it's…finally nice to meet you all." He seemed like it was awkward to talk, like he had to think about it. The smile turned sheepish, and he held up his hands, saying, "I, uh, haven't spoken in a _long_…_tempo_…er, time. So my voice is a little rough and I'm trying to _ricordare_ how to speak English. I'm trying to remember…not _ricordare_ . I'm assuming none of you know how to speak Italian?"

"What the hell happened?" Of course Bill was the first to speak, point blunt. He was smiling, as if impressed. "We thought you were a zombie."

Dakota closed the safe door behind him, the hood still hiding his features. By now, Zoey was _beyond_ the thought of comprehension—she kept thinking this was all but a wild dream. A dream she didn't want to wake up from.

Dakota walked further into the room, the usual walk he did. Stalking. But this time, his lips weren't in a zombie-like line. "I…thought so, too."

"Whoa, whoa," Bill said as Dakota leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "So—what happened?"

Dakota was silent. Then, his voice was soft; gentle, as he said, "You all might want to sit down. This is a long story."

Francis sat down in front of him, followed by Louis and Bill. Zoey found it hard to move her legs, and she was gazing at Dakota in what felt like a daze. But when she _felt_ his eyes on her, her legs moved her behind everyone else, joining in with the group.

Dakota began speaking, "Before this all happened, I was a typical _ragazzo_ , going to school and enjoying everything. It was just me and my mom, since my dad disappeared when I was a young _ragazzo_. However, over a span of three days, I grew a whole foot taller. My legs," He held out one leg, showing its length, "grew overnight. And these," He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his full arms—and his hands and their claws, "grew with my height. My mom finally said something three days later only because I hadn't noticed it. But I noticed it when she said something. At first, it was something funny, you know, because what guy doesn't like getting taller? But the claws are what…freaked my mom out."

He paused a moment before continuing. "And then, the days after that, things got…weird. I started spacing out—going blank for periods of times. And when this happened, my mind totally went blank and I felt detached from the world. Yes I normally tended to snap out of them. But when this started happening, my mom took me to the doctors. Apparently the doctor's offices were always busy since all these weird 'symptoms' were happening, and the patients were filing in one by one. They told me I had the flu, but my mom didn't believe them."

His smile was now a thin line, and he didn't look happy. "After that, I started getting so _angry_ at nothing—over little things. I started snapping at my friends, even my mom. I would get so angry that I couldn't _see_; I couldn't control myself. I knew something was inside of me, and it was dormant…for the time being. My friends, who had these bizarre symptoms, became what you guys call special infected. I became a hunter. My friend—I forgot her name, became a witch. She used to have terrible mood swings. She would be happy one second, and the next, she'd start sobbing in class. It was terrible. My other friend's tongue started getting long, and he was getting terrible blisters everywhere and had random coughing fits. Smoke would come from his mouth! I know he turned into a Smoker."

"Anyway, one day, I knew something was going to happen. I was in my bed, with my mom by my side. We spoke, and I was getting farther and farther away until…I was gone. The hunter inside of me finally dominated, won me over, and I watched through my eye as I ripped my mom to pieces, and could only watch as the hunter controlled my body, ripping other people apart with an overwhelming hunger." Dakota looked downright ashamed, and his voice shook as he continued. "I've killed survivor after another. People who've wandered off to dark alleys. I've killed children…I was a monster. But I couldn't do anything. I was trapped inside my own mind, forced to watch through my eyes as I terrorized people. Luckily for me, I could think."

He smiled bitterly. "I could 'speak' to the hunter inside of his mind. I drove him nuts. Finally, I grew a little bit of control over him; I could hold the hunger back. And when I…joined you guys, my strength was growing. Now, I guess I dominated and took control over my body. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. I know the hunter's still inside of me, and I really hope he doesn't come out soon, but I'm so happy I'm here…for now."

"That's very interesting." Louis said, pleased. "We're so happy you're okay, Dakota."

"What happened to you guys?" Dakota asked, motioning to their bleeding foreheads.

"We were tricked. A radio station was on, saying they could help us, we went and were ambushed. They knocked us out and left Zoey conscious to watch over us. They took everything we had…"

Dakota stood up straighter, grinning. "We'll you… guys will be happy to know that I know where we can go. When I was being 'controlled' I found a refugee out West, deep in some mountains. It's completely safe there, since they have their own army patrolling the outskirts. People are there. I went, and was almost killed by a sniper."

"Are you certain about this?" Louis asked with doubt. "Or were you just imagining?"

"Oh I wasn't imagining this. It's _real_. All the way in Wyoming, though."

"Awesome…but right now," Francis said, heading to the bathroom, "I'm wiping this blood off of me. I'm going to take a nap, too."

"I'll follow you on that." Bill grunted, nodding at Dakota. "It's nice to meet you."

Louis shook Dakota's hand, and followed behind the guys to wash off their wound. Zoey was still on the floor, staring at it. It was so bizarre. That Dakota's…_the_ Dakota Lombardi was back.

She then saw from the corner of her eye that Dakota crouched in front of her, and could see from this angle his green eyes from the shadows. They were _both_ human. "It's _very_ nice to meet you, Zoey." He was smiling at her, a smile full of compassion and genuine altitude that Zoey found herself blushing, and couldn't speak.

And when he cupper her cheek with _feeling_, Zoey felt as if she was going to faint. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes as she felt moisture pool inside of them.

"I…" She said, her voice weak and raw. When she felt his hand move from her face and his arms wrap around her, she collapsed in his arms, crying. She tried to stop herself since she's cried so many times over the past days, but being here with Dakota just made them break through without her consent. "I thought you were _gone_." These weren't sad tears; these were tears of relief, of _happiness_. Joy. It was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life.

"I'm right here." Dakota's said gently. His arms were firm around her, and Zoey felt so safe with them around her. "I'm here. And I don't plan on leaving."

Zoey looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, smiling. She felt like…the world had turned upside down. Without another word, Dakota leaned down and their lips met. It was slow at first, but then the feelings turned quicker; their movements picked up. Zoey had to pull away since it was all so overwhelming; the intense, sudden passion would consume her. Right now, she was exhausted and excited at the same time. _So happy_.

"You're beautiful." Dakota murmured, and Zoey felt him gazing down at her face. Even when she was crying—her eyes were red and puffy, and salty tears were coming down her cheeks, he thought she was _beautiful_?

"But," Dakota said, a little sternly, "you're exhausted." Without another word, Zoey felt him pick her up, and she erupted into a smile, holding onto him. Instead of being on his back, he carried her with his arms to the room where he was once 'dead'. He set her down softly, and lay down next to her. She snuggled closely to him, kissing him on the neck.

"How can you like me?" Dakota asked quietly, the darkness surrounding the two. They could hear the distant sounds of Louis, Bill, and Francis cleaning their wounds, but with the door closed, they were hardly noticeable. "With me being so…gross?"

Zoey pulled the blanket over them, grabbing a hold of his shirt and said firmly, "You're _not_ gross."

"Yes I am. Have you seen my face? It's not exactly a sight to…behold."

"I like it." Zoey countered, feeling the warmth enveloping her. This was one of the moments she would _never_ forget. "I like _you_."

"And that makes me very happy." Dakota replied with a grin. He kissed Zoey on the forehead, running his hand through her hair. He removed her hair tie, letting her dark hair fall over her shoulders. She felt him sniff her hair, which would normally be weird, but she kind of enjoyed it. She felt herself relax into his arms as he gently ran his hands through her hair, massaging her. It felt so good…

Outside, she heard the familiar sound of another hunter—off in the distance. Zoey stiffened up, and Dakota noticed.

"Don't worry," Dakota reassured her, forcing her to look up at him, "he won't get you. Not with me here. Remember I have these." He held out one of his claws. "Though they won't ever hurt you, they'll hurt anything else that poses a threat."

Zoey didn't reply. Instead, she pulled down his hood, and used her fingers to 'see' his face through the darkness, since she was momentarily blind. His skin wasn't smooth; but she felt the muscles move underneath her touch. He was no longer zombie-like. He could smile if he wanted to.

Zoey gave him one last earnest kiss before laying her head on his chest, and fell asleep. Everything felt so right. She was never happier before. _Never_.

* * *

><p>AN: :3 okay I like this chapter. I know it's short, but it's VERY important. Please let me know what you guys think! :)


	18. Chapter 18

Zoey always felt a sense of joy whenever they reached a safehouse; she felt a brief wave of enjoyment when she took a _warm_ shower—which rarely ever happened; she felt a tinge of contentment when she found food that wasn't canned. Through all these positive feelings, none of them matched the pure happiness Zoey felt to wake up with Dakota's green eyes gazing down at her. His arms were still around her waist, and their legs were tangled in a mass of limbs. Warmth was radiating all around Zoey, and the blankets pooled at their feet.

Dakota's features were more visible here. His slightly toned skin with his piercing green eyes highlighted his features. His eyes were such a rare shade of green; they had a pool of black surrounding the green pupil, giving him an 'edgy' look in his eyes. Yet even though his eyes looked predatory, they held a particular gentleness that reminded Zoey that he was human, even though the hunter was still inside of him. Zoey could see some strands of black hair in his eyes, and she noticed he had hair. It wasn't long; yet it wasn't short. It was kind of shaggy, strands just hanging in his face.

"Good morning." Zoey whispered, unable to look away from his mesmerizing eyes.

Dakota's lips turned into a soft smile. His smile brought more feeling into his features. "Morning."

Zoey's heart skipped a beat or two when Dakota leaned down, nuzzling Zoey's neck. She felt her cheeks burning, and without hesitation, nuzzled him in return.

"Did you sleep?" Zoey asked, resting her head in the crook of Dakota's neck. He pulled her closer, cradling her head.

"Yeah. I slept." Dakota said. "For the first time in a _long_ time."

Zoey was shocked to look up after a moment of silence to see Dakota's eyes glazed. Was he on the brink of tears?

"What's wrong?" She asked, on alert.

Dakota only clenched his jaw, his face hardening. He moved away a little, not meeting Zoey's eyes. "Nothing."

"Tell me." Zoey insisted, grabbing Dakota's jacket's collar to pull him closer.

"It's nothing." Zoey saw him force a smile at her. Her eyes narrowed. _Does he honestly think he can lie to me? To my face? _"Just forget about it."

"Tell me." Zoey repeated firmly, through gritted teeth. She looked him dead in the eye, as if daring him to lie again.

Dakota tried pulling away, but Zoey increased her hold on his jacket's collar. "It was…just a dream. A stupid dream. Don't worry about it."

Zoey knew exactly what he was talking about. She's had many dreams that made her wake up, sobbing. Those dreams were the happy dreams of life before all this. Those dreams did nothing but haunt her; reminding her how life was before _shit_ took over.

Is that what happened to Dakota?

"What was it about?" Zoey asked gently.

"I had a dream…about everyone I've killed." Dakota murmured, staring down at his claws. "How I ripped them apart…tore their flesh like it was paper. I saw the horror written on their faces, screamed at the hunter to stop—but he jumped right in it, longing for flesh. I saw their life pass before their eyes. Some, I saw life still there while their insides were showing on the outside. They _saw_ it all, just like me." He looked incredibly guilty. "It was me. I killed all those people with my own hands." He opened his hand, the claws jutting out. He slowly closed it, turning his hand over to reveal his palm. "I'm a killer."

"You're not the killer. The hunter inside of you is."

"Yes, but he's still _inside_ of me. He's part of me! I can feel him. I can feel the power, the strength I posses." He said thoughtfully. "I feel like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off when I'm fused."

"You're not a monster." Zoey whispered, cupping Dakota's cheeks. She pushed his hood back, revealing his full face. "You've saved me several times."

His gazed softened. "I care about you. I really do. So much, that if something was to happen to you…" His eyes shut closed, and his mouth turned upside down into a frown. He looked suddenly intense; _mad_. Then his eyes flickered open, and they held hysterical desperation, "I don't know what I'd do."

Zoey touched her forehead to his, their eyes locking, and she closed hers, reveling in his warmth. She said nothing; she only held him close to her, enjoying his presence.

She opened her eyes to see a twisted smile on Dakota's face. He chuckled bitterly. "The hunter will never leave me. He's a part of me…forever. It's only a matter of time before—"

"—don't think like that!" Zoey hissed, the urge to slap the nonsense out of him stronger than ever. However, she held back. "Look how much you went through to gain control of your body. Don't weaken yourself! You need to stay strong, Dakota. You're stronger than him." She then whispered, "I _know_ you are."

Dakota's bitterness washed away, and he crumpled in Zoey's arms. "I hope you're right…I really do."

Zoey ran her hands through his surprisingly soft hair, wondering why it was still this healthy. Her hands ran down to his face, to feel his skin, but his hand caught hers.

"Don't," He whispered softly. "Not my face."

"What's wrong with your face?"

He paused, and said, "I…like people petting my hair." Then, almost shyly, he moved closer to Zoey, burying his face in her lap.

Zoey smiled to herself. He was like a dog.

She ran her hands gently through his hair, twirling her fingers through the soft locks. His hair was pitch black; darker than her brown hair. She messed with his hair for a few minutes before she felt something sharp run across her back.

She stiffened, but heard Dakota say, "Don't worry. It's me." Gently, Zoey felt his claws run down her back—barely touching her. She closed her eyes and felt a shiver run down her spine. It…actually felt _amazing_. Like a back massage.

"You like that?" Dakota asked, looking up to examine Zoey's expression.

She blushed and nodded. Dakota continued the motions, using his "deadly" claws as a soothing gesture. Oh the irony. Claws that have ripped skin apart were now giving her a lovely back massage.

While he did this, Zoey continued playing with his hair. Dakota closed his eyes, and Zoey felt herself completely enjoying his massage for her.

After awhile of being relaxed, the two fell back asleep with Zoey in Dakoa's arms. They drove them both asleep with their actions, but none of them complained.

* * *

><p>A few hours of the early morning passed and Zoey woke up. She had to use the restroom. She went to push Dakota's arms off of her, only to have them wrap around her tighter, preventing her escape.<p>

Zoey tried worming her way out of the bottom, only to have Dakota move himself closer to her, kicking out his legs to keep her down. Her eyes widened. _What the hell? _

The throbbing in her lower body was painful now. She _really_ needed to use the bathroom.

"Dakota," She whispered, shaking his shoulders gently. "I need to use the bathroom."

He didn't respond at first, but after awhile, his eyes squinted open. He heard Zoey and let her go, turning his back to her to go right back to sleep.

Zoey chuckled silently to herself on the way to the bathroom. After relieving herself, she found the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her cheeks were slightly red, her hair mussed from sleep. But for some reason, she found herself liking her reflection. She looked…happy.

Her dark brown hair fell past her shoulder blades now in soft tendrils. Her hair surely grew longer over the past months. Normally she liked her hair a medium/short length in case something happened, but she found herself liking this particularly long length. It was…pretty.

She also saw how her stomach was a little skinnier than she remembered. She was always a little on the 'chubby' side when life was normal (since she watched movies and played games a lot. She never really got outside much). But ever since the world went to zombies, she got more exercise than ever by running around, shooting real zombies. Even her chest looked smaller, and her two mounds were a soft, feminine curve. This was like a foreign body to her. The last time she really looked at herself was during college after a full-nighter. Her hair was shorter and tousled from being unbrushed, her skin was a sick pale color from lack of sunlight, her stomach had a bump, and she had a flat chest. She had to admit; she was really developing into a woman.

She ran her hands through her hair to brush it, and ambled back to the room. She snuggled up behind Dakota, wrapping her arms around him from behind, and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Zoey woke up alone.<p>

She sat up, yawned, and rubbed at her eyes. She felt more refreshed than ever. Her eyes didn't even feel like they had bags underneath them anymore! Her stomach did, actually, growl to let her know she was hungry.

She fixed her white tank top, and walked outside the room. She heard voices in the main room where all the ammunition was.

"…so if you rub their stomach, they'll eventually fall asleep." Dakota finished saying just as Zoey entered the room. Bill smiled over at her.

"Morning, Zoey. Dakota's telling us interesting things about the special infected."

Louis said, "He said that a witch has a weakness. If you rub her stomach, she'll fall asleep."

"Really?" Zoey was impressed. "But how would you get that close to her without getting killed?"

"That's the tricky part." Dakota said with a grin. It was then Zoey noticed he had a mug in his hand.

She looked around the room, a certain smell tugging at her nose. It was so familiar…

"Oh we have waffles made." Bill said, motioning to the table. "There's butter and syrup as well as orange juice."

Zoey's mouth dropped open. "How did you guys do this?"

"Dakota went out to find the ingredients and waffle maker." Louis explained. Francis couldn't talk; his mouth was full. "And we just made waffles."

"The zombies don't go after me." Dakota explained. "With my hood on, they still look at me as a hunter." His hood was over his face, but Zoey knew what he looked like without it. "I'm like an undercover agent."

"Eat up." Louis urged. "We have to get moving soon. We're going west, where Dakota suggested. We can't give up hope yet."

Zoey made herself a plate of waffles, her mouth watering. This was a _fresh_ meal. She couldn't remember the last time she even saw a fresh, cooked meal. It was such a beautiful sight to behold.

"I would say that you could all dress as special infected," Dakota said, "so we don't have to worry about shooting and stuff. But there are certain mutations with the special infected, which you guys don't have. So…never mind."

"I'm pretty sure they'll know we're not special infected." Francis said, gulping down some orange juice.

"We don't know if we don't try." Louis said. "But we probably shouldn't take any risks. For all we know, the zombies could recognize us, and if we had no guns, we'd be swarmed in seconds. We'll just have to stick to guns and running from place to place."

The waffles tasted delicious. Zoey took her time eating—savoring the rare meal that just made her morning. Could her day get any better?

"Why don't we just hot wire a car?" Dakota asked. "It'll be easier to just drive around, wouldn't it?"

"A car is faster." Louis agreed. "But it will provide us little protection against a Smoker, especially a Tank. And if a horde comes, we have the chance to blowing us up from the engine gas. Too many risks. When this all started, the deaths were mostly from car explosions and accidents."

"A car would also attract more attention." Francis said. "We want to attract as little as possible."

"We've accidentally bumped into a car," Zoey added, "and it set off a horde with its alarm. Cars have brought nothing but trouble for us."

Everyone went silent when they heard a car alarm suddenly sound off in the distance, followed by an uproar of screams and chaos.

"See? My point exactly." Zoey smiled, taking a sip of orange juice. Dakota sat next to her, keeping his hood lowered.

"I have to tell you guys there are more special infected out there." Dakota said. "There are hunters, Tanks, witches, Smokers. But if you go more south, there are different kinds also. The witch doesn't just sit; she walks around, crying. There is a special infected called a Spitter. They spit—I forgot what it is but its bad stuff, at you. Some kind of acid maybe? I can't remember. There is also a Jockey—who is very bad news. He'll jump onto your back and 'ride' you, and it's hard to get him off. I've seen him in action a few times. Also, there's a Charger. Those guys are dangerous. They'll ram you with so much power and force that it can wipe at least half your health pack away. To me, they're like mini Tanks."

"Great." Bill grunted. "I thought we had them all figured out."

"Remember, north and south are opposites." Dakota said. "They both have different aspects to them. They both have different special infected, though Smoker's and Hunter's still exist. They just have more."

"How are you two doing?" Bill asked suddenly. "Dakota, I've wanted to ask you something." He motioned to one of the rooms. "You and me. Talk. In private."

With the look he was giving Dakota, Zoey had a feeling it was about them.

Dakota nodded solemnly in response and followed Bill into one of the rooms. The three were left with an awkward silence.

"I think we should stay here one more night." Francis spoke up finally. "I have a killer headache right now." He had a large, purple bruise on his forehead from the wound the previous day.

"Maybe you're right." Louis said, lightly touching his head. "It's smart to make sure we're all as healthy as we can be before we leave."

Francis smiled. "So one more night?"

"What do you say, Zoey?"

Zoey shrugged, knowing she wouldn't mind staying another night. "I think it would be nice."

Francis and Louis exchanged knowing looks. They both knew of Zoey's relationship with Dakota, and even though they knew he was once a hunter, they knew he could be trusted.

That is, unless he snapped.

* * *

><p>After a relaxing day of relaxation, Zoey lay in the bed. She felt restless.<p>

"I think today was awesome." Dakota said, closing the door behind him. He walked his 'hunter stride' to the bed, lying beside Zoey. "I just wish we had a TV, though the noise would probably catch some attention."

Zoey suddenly felt nervous around him. She agreed with a nod, not looking at Dakota.

However, his thoughts were different.

He kissed Zoey on the back of her neck, pulling her so she was in his arms. Silently, Zoey fought back a shiver as Dakota kissed at her neck with such tenderness that it made her hands start to tremble.

She looked over her shoulder and Dakota's lips met hers. When they pulled away a second later, Zoey turned around, straddling Dakota's waist, and kissed him deeply. Dakota responded immediately, crushing their hips together and tightening his grip around her waist.

There was passion. There was lust. There was _magic_.

Zoey suddenly felt hot, so very hot. She wanted to get some fresh air, but this wasn't a bad hot. It felt good.

And just like it happened, it stopped. Dakota loosened his grip on Zoey, his face unreadable with the mask on. But he seemed more distant.

"What's wrong?" Zoey whispered. When she got no answer, she continued, "Look—I know I'm not…sexy or whatever, but I thought we both had the same idea in mind. I like you. A _lot_, Dakoa. And I may not be an expert when it comes to this, but I'm pretty sure that—"

Suddenly, she was pressed into the bed, Dakota's hand over her mouth. She could see his eyes from where she was, and all she saw was a silent _panic_. It was then she knew something was wrong.

"Be quiet," Dakota whispered urgently.

"What's wrong?" Zoey asked, her voice muffled by his hand.

"There's a tank approaching."


	19. Chapter 19

"You're kidding me!" Zoey hissed without thinking. Dakota only pressed down on her mouth harder with his hand. He looked like he was listening closely. Zoey then said quietly, "We have to tell the others."

"He'll hear us." Dakota replied in a whisper. "I think they're all asleep. If we're lucky, he'll pass by us."

Zoey then felt the slight tremor of the Tank's footsteps. She could feel a cold sweat break over her.

"And if we're not lucky?" Zoey asked.

Dakota didn't reply. He only stayed on top of Zoey, holding her down, his entire body stiff and tense—prepared to lunge at any given moment. The ground, by now, was shaking like an earthquake and Zoey could hear the tank's footsteps. He was right outside the door.

And just like that, everything got silent. Dead silent.

Dakota moved closer to Zoey, giving her a look that said _don't even breathe. Not a single noise. _And it was then she had the sudden, random urge to sneeze.

She tried to hold it back, she really did. But Dakota saw the look of discomfort on her face, and quickly squeezed her nose, erasing the sneeze. Whew. That was close.

The silence stretched on. What was the Tank doing? Zoey grabbed a hold of Dakota's hand, squeezing him from the tension. She was watching his eyes, for his eyes betrayed everything he tried to hide.

He was worried. Why? Because a Tank was just outside the door and nobody was prepared to face a Tank. No guns, no safety.

Zoey swore Dakota could hear her heart beat. For a moment, his eyes flickered to hers and they softened in a heartbeat. He placed his hand over her heart, hearing the rapid beating of the small organ. For a moment, Dakota lost the caution, and a noise shattered that moment.

A sneeze.

It didn't come from Zoey, but came from another room. Both of their eyes widened in horror, and they stiffened again, waiting for the Tank to hear the sneeze. But then they felt the Tank's footsteps sound again, and they were getting softer and softer.

When the ground stopped shaking, Zoey whispered, "Well that was close."

Like a bomb, an ear-splitting roar erupted down the halls. The ground and the walls began shaking as the Tank ran back, and the sound of metal bending—a great hissing sound—was in the air. Zoey's mouth opened in terror and Dakota was already standing, crouched in a defensive position.

"Shit," Zoey shouted, hearing the safe door hit the wall. The Tank let out an animalistic roar. "He heard us!"

"We need to get you out of here." Dakota said, turning towards Zoey.

"No! We need to wake everyone else up!" Zoey argued. "I'll go get a gun—you wake them up."

"No! He's out there!"

Just as Dakota said that, Zoey took off running through the doorway, brushing past him. Dakota let out a curse word in Italian and had no choice but to follow behind her, knowing she'd stand no chance against a Tank with no gun.

Zoey found herself face to face with a Tank. His bulky figure towered over her smaller form, and for a moment, they just looked at each other. And then as the Tank raised his deformed arm to smash into Zoey, Dakota leapt out from behind her and was on the Tank's back, distracting him momentarily.

Zoey quickly grabbed the submachine gun, trying to get a good aim at the Tank. The only thing was that Dakota was on his back, and she didn't want to shoot him.

"I need a clear shot!" Zoey shouted.

The Tank flung Dakota off suddenly. Dakota slammed into the wall, slumping towards the ground. With his hood covering his face, Zoey didn't know if he was seriously injured or just…

The Tank turned to her. The one thing Zoey's learned about the Tank is that he's like a bull. Once he locks onto a target, he'll smash through anything—anyone to get to the target. And once that target is down, he'll move onto another one. But only when the target is down will he move on. He stays on _one person at a time_.

In other words, she was screwed.

Knowing she had to gain some distance, Zoey took off running through the safe door. She ran through halls uncharted, hoping to find another door through another corner. It wasn't easy running on unstable ground, since her balance wasn't equal. Any given moment she could fall down—and if she did…she'd be a goner.

She ran through many hallways with the Tank right on her tail. She was surprised she was running this fast. Thank heavens for adrenaline rushes.

But it was only long before she came to a dead end, and Zoey turned around just as the Tank's arm collided with her cheek. She was knocked into the wall so _hard_ that for a moment, her mind went blank. Maybe she went unconscious, but the next moment, she was lying on the floor with the Tank standing over her. She was covered in his shadow, and she shakily picked up her submachine gun and began shooting him in the stomach. She knew her head was bleeding, and she was suddenly very tired, so when it came time to reload, she couldn't do it.

Shouts were then heard. She swore she heard Bill's voice, and she felt a wave of relief. But then the Tank picked up a chunk of the ground, and raised it above his head, his eyes set on her. The last thing she saw was the chunk of ground hurling towards her face, and darkness consumed her being.

* * *

><p>Time doesn't matter when you're knocked out, so when Zoey awoke, she knew it was only seconds after she went unconscious. Pieces of the chunk of earth was all around her—above her, on her sides—it was enveloping her. She was trapped.<p>

She could hear shots outside of the wall of earth. Her teammates were awake and fighting the Tank.

"Zoey?" Dakota's voice was outside of the chunk of earth. "Zoey! Can you hear me?"

She felt weak. So very weak. But she was able to respond, "I'm in here."

"Damn it, Zoey! Why didn't you listen to me? If I would've gotten you out of there this wouldn't have happened." Dakota snapped angrily. One of the chunks shook as he tried to pick it up. It suddenly dropped though when Dakota said, "I feel so _angry_ right now…so _mad_!"

Zoey knew it wasn't good for Dakota to get mad. But she didn't have the energy to say anything. She only heard a sick choking sound, and then a familiar, low, feral growl. She knew the Hunter inside of Dakota was back.

He let out a loud snarl when he leapt after the Tank. Zoey heard a roar come from the Tank, followed by more shots. A loud smashing sound was heard—like a wall breaking. Did the Hunter just push him through a _wall_?

"…he's got him." Bill's voice was suddenly outside the chunk of ground. Zoey closed her eyes, feeling the biggest headache of all time gnaw at her. "We have to get her out. She's running low on health right now."

"Zoey?" Louis called. "We're going to get you out of there, okay? Just stay calm. You're safe now."

"Don't step on my foot." Bill snapped, probably to Francis. They tended to bicker here and there.

Zoey's eyes squinted when light multiplied by a tiny hold. She watched the chunk lift off of her, and saw Louis, Bill, and Francis standing before her. Louis helped her up, letting her lean on him.

And just as they began leading her off, Zoey felt herself slip away again.

* * *

><p>This time, Zoey woke up in the bed. Nobody was in the room with her except for Dakota. He was sitting on the bed with his back to her. When she stirred, he heard her. She immediately knew he was <em>Dakota<em>, not the Hunter, but the way he carried himself.

"Hey." He greeted Zoey softly, his hood hiding his features. "I know this sounds stupid, but how do you feel?"

"I have a headache." Zoey said, going to touch her head. Dakota's hand snapped out and stopped her wrist.

"Don't touch it. It's bandaged." Dakota said. "And don't worry—we used a health pack on you. The most you'll feel is a headache. You're fine." He smiled softly.

"Okay. Good." Zoey sat up, wanting to be closer to Dakota. "How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine. Just…lost control back there." He said with a sheepish smile. He leaned closer to Zoey, his face in the crook of her neck, and Zoey felt him gently kiss her on the neck. He nuzzled her, and she held him closer.

Even with his features hidden, Zoey could feel the energy coming from Dakota. It was contagious, for she suddenly felt the energy within her, too.

"Scared?" Dakota whispered.

"Scared of what?"

"Me."

"Why would I be scared of you?" Zoey teased, lightly messing with his hood.

"Because I can do this." Dakota suddenly had her pinned to the bed, holding her hands above her head. This was the same position Zoey would find herself in with many other hunters when they tried ripping her open. However, unlike those many times, she wasn't scared; she was thrilled.

Her headache no longer bothered her. In fact, it felt like it had never existed. The only other thing she felt was a bruise on her cheek, but other than that, she was perfectly fine.

She swore it looked like he was going to bite into her neck, but she let out a little laugh when he nibbled on her neck. He pulled away, hearing her laugh.

"I'm…ticklish in the neck." Zoey confessed with a blush.

"Really? I didn't know anyone could be ticklish there." A small smirk overtook his lips, and he began nibbling again on her neck. Zoey's nerves thrived, and she squirmed, gasping for breath and trying to escape the weird yet nice sensation.

His nibbles turned to kisses, and he let go of her wrists only to hold her hands, their fingers intertwining. He raised the kisses from her neck to her face, and soon was kissing her on the lips deeply. His lower body met with hers, and Zoey was blushing big time now. She's never been _this_ far before.

Zoey pulled away when it was all too much for her, and she shyly looked away.

"Scared you yet?" Dakota murmured.

"No." Zoey mumbled.

"Don't lie to me."

Zoey swore she detected hurt in his voice.

Silently, she lifted his hood, revealing his features. Even now, she could stare at his uncovered face for as long as she wanted to. And boy did she want to.

"You're not a monster." Zoey said softly. "You're everything but."

"It's weird…I don't want to be a monster," Dakota murmured, "yet at times, I find it…cool." He gazed thoughtfully at his claws.

Zoey smiled and cupped his cheeks, admiring the thin scars running over his once zombie-like eye. "You took down a Tank. In my book, that's pretty bad ass."

Smiling, Dakota reached behind Zoey with his claw, cut her ponytail holder, and let her hair cascade down her shoulders. He inhaled sharply and nuzzled her fiercely, saying, "I like this _much_ better."

Zoey grabbed his cheek bones and kissed him with every emotion bubbling inside of her. He responded intensely, his tongue fighting hers for dominance. Eventually he won but biting a little on her lower lip, resulting in her open her mouth in shock. Now he was gently nibbling on her lower lip, and Zoey's hands were straying up to his jacket zipper.

She slid the zipper down, revealing a black muscle shirt underneath. So this is what he wore underneath the jacket…

She could see the hint of muscle on his arms, and his skin wasn't as dark-skinned as it was in the picture. It was slightly paler.

And with the look in Dakota's eyes—the rapacious look, Zoey knew from now and then on, she was his prey, and he was her predator.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait xD Anyway, how do ya like the story? Let me know in a review :]

A SPECIAL THANKS TO Erin who has made three fan art for this story! She is a very talented artist and a wonderful person. :3 she's my internet buddy. Anyway, check them out. The recent one shows a sexy picture of Dakota ;) so you guys might REALLY wanna check it out. Anyway, she's awesome and I dedicate this chapter to her.

I shall update when I can!


	20. Chapter 20

"Zoey."

Bill's voice interrupted the intimate moment Zoey and Dakota were having. Zoey instinctively tore herself away from Dakota, blushing furiously. Dakota looked a little embarrassed as well on account of Bill interrupting what they were just about to do.

"Yes?" Zoey asked.

"I need to talk to you."

"I'm fine, Bill. I don't even have a headache." Zoey said, laughing nervously. Dakota pushed his hood further down his face, hiding his features. _Is he smiling? The bastard! He's enjoying my embarrassment! _

"We need to talk." Bill's voice was firm. It reminded Zoey of how her father would sound when he'd catch her playing games instead of studying. Her heart softened at that. It was father-like. "In the hallway. Dakota, you stay in here."

Zoey swore she heard an inaudible chuckle come from Dakota. She sent him a brief glare before walking out of the dark room, Bill closing the door behind her. Immediately she was met with a pair of stern eyes.

"What's up?" Zoey asked, trying to sound casual.

"What's _up_? That's what you have to say?" Bill kept his voice level. "Look—I like Dakota. We all do. But I don't like the idea of you two sleeping in the same bed."

Zoey's mouth fell open. "Well you sure were fine with it that other night."

"No I wasn't. I just didn't say anything." Bill ran a hand through his hair. "I know you two are…attracted to each other. I know what that's like, you know. But feelings are so hard to control…and you know what could happen if you two aren't careful, right?"

Zoey's first reaction was predictable.

Her blush deepened and she began stammering, "We, uh, weren't doing _that_, Bill. Uh, trust m-me."

Bill was silent. He just stared at her, and she read his eyes and understood what he _truly_ meant.

Zoey was silent. She knew the answer.

"You could get pregnant. That is, _if_ he can get you pregnant. I don't know much about Dakota, especially on account if he's half zombie. Can he even _get_ turned on?"

"Bill!" Zoey chastised Bill's bluntness, her blush returning.

"Now I know for a fact you aren't ready enough to be a mother."

Zoey stayed silent. She knew she wasn't. She was still young herself! She never gave much thought to being a mother, only because she never thought she'd have to give it much thought in the first place. But now, Bill was supposedly right. If she and Dakota weren't…careful, a real problem could be on her hands.

"We also don't have medical supplies meant for _that_ kind of stuff." Bill continued. "We don't have a hospital we can just go to and keep check on the baby. That technology is useless now that we don't have doctors around. There are so many problems that could arise if you two weren't careful."

Zoey could just imagine a baby growing inside of her. Of course she would love it, no doubt about it—but could she take care of it? She could barely take care of herself! She always believed, as a teenager on up, that you should only have a baby if you were _ready_. When she saw teenage girls walking around pregnant, she figured they really wanted a baby and were ready for one, or they were forced upon it.

And would she really _want_ a baby growing up in this world? And if she was pregnant, she'd be an easy target for zombies.

Her face paled. Bill was more than right. This was a delicate issue.

"You see what I mean." Bill said, noting the paleness upon Zoey's cheeks. "I know you really like him. I think he's a decent guy, too. But I just wanted to remind you of what's at stake. Don't go making rash decisions without thinking it through. Understand?"

"I understand."

"There's another room at the end of the hall that nobody's using. And don't worry about the safe door—Francis fixed it back up." Bill patted Zoey on the back with a smile. "Now go say goodnight to your man. I still need to talk to him."

Zoey opened the door to Dakota's room, seeing Dakota in the same position he was when she left. She simply sat in front of him, and leaned forward to kiss him gently on the cheek.

His hood lifted a bit, revealing his eyes, and he gave her a _so-what's-going-on_ look.

"I'll sleep in the room down the hall." Zoey whispered, seeing the guarded look come over his eyes.

"But what if another tank comes and I'm not there?" Dakota replied.

"There won't be another one." Zoey assured him, standing up. "I'll…see you in the morning. Okay?"

"Yeah…okay." Dakota mumbled, that guarded look still in his eyes. Zoey exited the room, Bill entering as he closed the door behind him. She was a little tempted to stay and listen in on their conversation, but decided against it.

She went off to bed.

* * *

><p>A storm came out of nowhere halfway through the night. Thunder boomed outside, and Zoey remembered as child she would love to sleep to the sound of the rain. She was never afraid of thunder storms, but tonight was different.<p>

This thunder mixed along with other sounds—sounds of zombies. She heard a Smoker off in the distance, followed by a scream from a zombie. She shivered in the bed, hearing the wind howling right outside her room.

Believe it or not, Zoey—a girl who could take on multiple hordes of zombies a day—was once, long ago, afraid of the dark.

_"Dad….I'm scared."_

_"Of what?" _

Her father was always the one to tuck her in bed. She always slept with her door wide open, to let additional light flow into the room so she wouldn't be captured in complete darkness.

_"The dark." _

_"How come you're afraid of the dark?" _

_"Because I can't see the monsters." _

Zoey could still hear her father's voice. She could almost feel his presence in the room. Instead of comforting her, this idea made Zoey feel very lonely.

_"So you're scared of the dark because you can't see the monsters? Zoey, listen to me. If it's dark, then you can't see the monsters, right? But if it's like that, then the monsters can't see you either, right?" _

_"…yeah." _

_"So why would you be afraid? The dark hides you from the monsters. They can't see you, just like you can't see them." _

It was times like these Zoey wished her father was alive. When she was a child, she would sneak off to her parent's bedroom to sleep with them to ease her fear. Now, they were dead. Bill was like a father to her, but she didn't want to impose. She turned into her pillow, feeling it getting damp from tears she didn't know she had shed. Feeling oddly like a girl again, Zoey arose from the bed and crept to Dakota's room.

He was lying on his back in the bed, the pillows propping up his head. His hood was covering his face, but right when Zoey opened the door, she _felt_ his eyes on her.

She didn't speak as she closed the door behind her, a loud boom of thunder sounding over them. She approached Dakota silently and stopped in front of him.

They sat there in the dark. Silent.

And then she admitted softly, "I'm scared."

Dakota's lips upturned in the dark, and he jerked on her hand, pulling her into him. Zoey curled in Dakota's arms, basking in the sudden feeling of comfort and erasing her fear. The comfort was so strong that she began silently crying into Dakota's shoulder.

Dakota seemed to bring out these feelings she hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. Being with him felt so _right_, and she felt so protected; safe. Like how she felt when she was with her father. Like her father, Zoey knew Dakota would protect her no matter what, and this was such a comfort that it was overwhelming.

"Sleep with me tonight." Dakota whispered simply, his jacket drowning out Zoey's tears. Zoey secretly hoped he didn't know she was crying. She smiled into his jacket, nodding her head as she moved closer. "Bill doesn't have to know if you've slept with me."

Zoey's tears seemed to disappear after a few seconds, and she looked up, looking Dakota dead in the eye and said, "Don't tell _anyone_ about this."

Dakota kissed her on the forehead. "It'll be our little secret."

Zoey sat up, situating her legs so she was straddling Dakota, and leaned her forehead against his. She had to move his hood, which he didn't seem to mind anymore. He actually seemed casual about it; though she knew he'd never remove the hood in front of anyone else.

"What was life like for you?" Zoey murmured, searching into his eyes. They mirrored her emotions. "Before all this?"

"It was exciting." Dakota replied with a grin. "I was a senior in high school, ready to get out into the world."

"What did you want to be?"

"I…wanted to be…" Dakota paused, almost shyly. "Don't laugh, alright?"

"Okay."

"I wanted to be a fireman."

Zoey pictured a younger, healthy Dakota wearing a fireman uniform carrying a thick hose in his hand, those helmets covering his features instead of the hood. _A hero…_

"You wanted to fight fires?" Zoey whispered.

"Yes." Dakota mumbled.

"I think that's…hot."

Dakota's eyes flickered, and Zoey felt herself blushing. She looked away, not believing what she had just said. When did she say things like that?

Dakota asked, "What was life like for you?"

"It sucked."

"_Really?_"

"Yeah. My dad worked with the police, so I always knew how to shoot a gun. My parent's kind of both had their own idea for my life. They wanted me to do careers I didn't want to do."

"What did you want to do?"

"Well…I was a gamer. I loved playing games. The more blood, the better." Zoey smiled to herself. "Anyway, I finally went to college to go into filmmaking. I did terrible. Instead of studying, I played games that involved heavy combat and shooting monsters."

"Well it all worked for you." Dakota reassured. "That this all happened. All those 'meaningless' things became necessities that many people lacked."

"At first I kind of had fun…killing zombies. Well, after the shock of my parents dying."

Dakota's eyes widened. "How'd they die?"

Zoey swallowed thickly. "I…my parents were fighting. Arguing. Then this zombie came out of _nowhere_ and bit my mom. My dad killed the zombie…I ran out of the room, yelling for help. But it was _chaos_. Some zombie grabbed me from behind and I had to shoot her in the face…I was covered in blood. When I went back to my dorm room, I watched my mom tear into my dad."

"What'd you do after that?"

"After that I hid in the attic. I was in a shock from everything that was happening. And then after awhile, I found Bill and them." Zoey smiled to herself. "They're good people."

"Yeah. My science teacher always used to tell us about exponential growth." Dakota admitted. "And something was going to _really_ drop the population. Who knew it would be this?"

"There was no warning. Yes there were many signs, but nobody took them seriously. They made lies about it—spreading rumors about it all being the flu." Zoey sighed. "The internet lied to so many people that when they _were_ telling the truth, nobody would believe it."

"I'm so lucky, you know."

"Why?"

"Because I turned into a hunter." Dakota admitted. "And you brought me back."

"I brought you back?" Zoey could feel herself smiling.

"Yes. You made me fight back." Dakota wrapped his arms around Zoey, kissing her gently on the cheek. "Without you, I'd probably still be tearing people apart."

Zoey closed her eyes, reveling in the moment. Dakota eased her down so she was leaning against him, and he cradled her head to his chest. Slowly, they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Zoey woke up earlier than anyone. She had to, knowing Bill wouldn't be too happy if he caught her in here. She untangled herself from Dakota's arms, watching him turn the other way around, still asleep. She then crept back to her room, hearing now a soft sound of rain with no thunder. It sounded…nice.<p>

She went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>"Guys! Come on—get up! We have to get moving." Louis's voice woke Zoey up. She rubbed at her eyes, stretching out her legs. Locking her door, she quickly changed into her white tank top and jeans, carrying her jacket with one arm when she walked out. Francis was sitting at one of the tables, Bill was trying to button up his shirt, and she bumped into Dakota right as he walked out of his room. He greeted her with a smile, the hood covering his features again.<p>

"Morning." Zoey greeted with a smile, touching his arm. Better than nothing. She wasn't expecting a full kiss in front of everyone. That would be…weird.

Zoey leaned against the wall as Dakota sat across from Francis. She brushed through her hair with her fingers, pulling it back into a ponytail.

"We need to get moving." Louis started, standing in the middle of the room. "If this place is real, we need to get there." He glanced at Dakota.

"It's real." Dakota said brusquely. "Trust me. I've seen it."

"Then that's where we need to be." Louis put his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure there are other places we could go, but this one we know it's for sure. We don't want to make another mistake like we did back there. The survivors out there are desperate and hungry. They're done looking out for other people—to them, they're the only ones left. Even though we aren't like that, we still need some sympathy. Maybe they have it worse? They don't, after all, know about these safe houses like we do. If they did, they'd all be doing the same thing we're doing—jumping from safe house to another."

"Are there safe houses on the way there?" Bill asked. "Wyoming is going to be hard to get to. I've been there before. There's a reason why they call it the _last frontier_."

Louis looked down at the map in his pocket, unfolding it in moments. "There are safe houses all over the United States. I don't know exactly who did this, maybe a military thing, but they sure had them planned. There will be safe houses all the way there, though they may be more spread out than the ones in the city since there are less buildings."

"I wish we could find a faster way." Zoey said. "Like drive a vehicle."

"A car doesn't stand a chance against a horde, or a tank." Bill said.

"I mean like a tank. Would they be able to do anything to that? Think about it. We could drive a tank all the way _there_."

"Yeah, with zombies right on our ass."

"But it would take weeks to get there. Who knows if we'll—"

"—I think the tank idea is good." Louis said, cutting Bill and Zoey off. "But where would we even find a tank?"

"If this is a military thing, these safe houses," Dakota spoke up, "then wouldn't they have more stuff?" Everyone got silent. "Maybe…it's all hidden."

"I doubt it." Bill shot that down.

Zoey found the rug underneath the table suspicious. "Guys—help me move the table. Maybe there's something underneath this rug."

Dakota shrugged and started helping her move it, along with Francis. "It's worth a try."

"The military is very strategic." Bill concluded, helping them. "Back when I was enrolled, they had all kinds of secrets only we were to know."

Sure enough, when the rug was pulled off, there was a handle and something leading below. Zoey didn't know what it could be, since this was a two story building, but when she opened it up, she was met with a compartment of _new weapons_.

A flamethrower, machine gun, _shotgun_. These were ten times better than the guns they had now. Zoey's eyes popped out of her head, and she was speechless—paralyzed in shock to even see the note inside. Bill grabbed it.

He said, "It's a map. I can read the coordinates."

"Where do they lead?" Louis asked as Francis examined the machine gun.

"Holy shit." Bill said quietly.

Zoey snapped out of her shock. "What? What is it?"

"This leads to a basement _full_ of military equipment hidden underneath a house, meant for emergencies."

"And military equipment is…?" Dakota asked.

Bill grinned, patted Zoey on the back, and said, " That tank idea might just be possible."

* * *

><p>AN: Okay so school got out for me, so I have the whole summer to work on fanfics :3 that's what this long wait was for, people. These last few days for school were brutal -_- but now I'll have so much more time, so expect faster updates! :D


	21. Chapter 21

"There it is." Bill stated as the whole group stood in front of the looming, three-story house.

"How do we get inside?" Francis asked. There was a tall, towering iron fence that surrounded the property with barbed wire on the top, so it was impossible to climb over.

Zoey was the first to try and open the gate. Of course, it was locked.

"We need to hurry and think of something," Louis said, looking around. "Before another horde comes."

Dakota stood next to Zoey. He didn't have to carry a gun; he could rip a zombie in half with his claws. With his hood on, Zoey briefly wondered if he was a zombie again. She didn't realize she had moved to where she was in front of him until she felt him gently grab her hand and heard him whisper, "I'm here, don't worry. It's me."

Bill tossed the coordinated to the ground casually. He looked like he was in deep thought, the cigar in his mouth hanging limply as his jaw clenched.

However, when Dakota stepped forward, everyone turned to look.

"I can get inside." Dakota told them, crouching low to the ground. Right now, he looked like any hunter—except for his jacket. "I can get inside, find the key, and unlock the gate."

"What if there _is_ no key?" Francis asked.

Louis shot a woman who was running at him. Urgently, he said, "Dakota—go!"

Dakota flung himself high over the fence and landed on all fours. He pounced again to one of the windows on the second floor and quickly disappeared inside.

"Hopefully he comes back," Francis grumbled.

Zoey turned to glare at him. "He will. He won't leave us."

Francis still looked doubtful but said nothing more.

"Bill!" Zoey cried, aiming her gun behind him. "Watch out!" She quickly shot an obese man in the head. Blood splattered on Bill's back and his features twisted in disgust.

"Damn it!" Bill snapped, glaring at the ground.

"You're welcome." Zoey said to herself, keeping an eye out. She could sense an upcoming horde. _Come on, Dakota. Hurry. _

When they stood there for a few minutes with no Dakota, Francis was frustrated.

"I knew he wasn't coming back." Francis snapped, looking worried. "Now we're stuck here! We shouldn't have trusted anyone."

"He'll come back." Zoey protested firmly. "He _has_ to."

Everyone got completely silent when a hunter's growl pierced the air.

"Not now," Zoey murmured in horror, turning to look around. Where was he? Dakota—where the hell are you?

"Dakota!" Zoey yelled, her voice echoing. She knew zombies would hear it. Her voiced sounded desperate. All of them were depending on him.

A few zombies had already found them. Francis and Louis were taking care of them while Bill was watching Zoey's back. They all knew the hunters _always_ went after Zoey. It was a learned fact.

Another growl came, and it sounded closer. By now, Zoey felt scared. She didn't feel like being pushed to the ground with a hunter clawing for her face. It wasn't fun.

Bill let out a grunt when a Smoker suddenly latched onto his leg with his tongue. Bill fell to the floor, dropped his gun, and was being dragged towards another building. The Smoker was standing on the top. Zoey quickly aimed for the Smoker but had a feeling he was too far. Instead, she aimed at his tongue and shot it. The Smoker let out a pained cry, and Bill ran over to them.

"Thanks," He grunted.

"No problem."

Just as Zoey said it, she felt something large _shove_ her to the ground. She hit her head on the concrete, and a hunter was perched over her, trying to claw at her stomach. Thankfully she had good reaction to these things. She was holding him back with her hands, pushing back against his shoulders to keep his arms spread out. He was moving so fast that it was hard to keep track of where his mouth was.

She heard Bill being taken by the Smoker again. Louis and Francis were surrounded by zombies at the moment. All was chaos, pure chaos.

It's amazing how things could change so drastically in just a few seconds. One moment they were simply waiting; the next they were all being attacked.

Zoey gritted her teeth and kicked out her legs, trying to shove the hunter off of her. He was a large, taller one, with bigger claws and sharper teeth that were dirty with blood and flesh. He smelled heavily of body odor and blood.

Her eyes widened as his jaw was gradually getting closer to her. Her arms were shaking now. She didn't know if she could hold this up any longer…

Behind the hunter, Zoey saw Bill hanging from the side of a building by his _neck_. He would die soon if she didn't act.

But no matter how hard she tried, Zoey could not shove the hunter. It was like she was playing arm wrestling and they were both in the middle, but she was losing steam. The hunter had more energy than her.

Zoey was just about to try and do something when a large blast knocked the hunter over. The blast was so big that she was sent rolling over a few times, and smoke surrounded everyone. Zoey began coughing from the smoke, and stood up immediately, finding her gun. Where did that hunter go? And who the hell did that?

When the smoke cleared, she saw that the fence was blown down. Dakota walked over the broken fence holding a large bazooka. He set it down carefully, crouched down, and took down the hunter that was just about to pounce on Zoey again.

Zoey smiled to herself. She knew he'd come back. But who knew he would use a bazooka?

She immediately went for Bill, whose face was now purple. He was moments from death. She quickly shot at the Smoker until smoke exploded again and Bill fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering. He was hurt, but alive.

"Come on," Zoey told him, helping him up, "we need to go. Dakota came back."

"Let's go!" Louis shouted, shooting the last zombie. Everyone ran over the broken fence to the house. Of course the front door was locked. Dakota went in through another window and unlocked it through the other side.

"I couldn't find a key." Dakota told them. "So I found the basement and found a weapon. It took me awhile to learn how to use it, since I've never shot a gun before."

"It's fine." Bill told him, his voice hoarse from being strangled. "You did good."

Zoey glanced at Francis. He looked happy and sheepish. Yes Dakota took awhile, but without him, they would still be trying to figure out a way to get inside the gate.

"Which way to the basement?" Louis asked Dakota.

"Follow me."

Everyone followed behind Dakota through a long hallway, which led to an open door. They ran inside, the lights already on, and found a large room full of weapon equipment.

Zoey immediately went for a better pistol and another gun. Everyone upgraded on their guns, admiring all the weaponry on the walls.

"So where are the tanks?" Louis asked. There was a large space in the middle of the room with just a table.

Bill, smiling widely, jogged to the table and picked up a set of keys. "It's in the garage. Here are the keys."

They gathered grenades and any supplies they could carry. Then, they all ran upstairs and it took a few minutes to find the garage. The garage had three camouflage hummers and a tank right in the middle.

"Get inside." Bill told everyone. The top opened and Zoey was the first inside, followed by Dakota and everyone else. There wasn't a lot of space inside, but did they care? No. There were a set of controls in the front, where Bill situated himself. Louis closed the door as Bill turned the tank on.

It roared to life.

Everyone cheered and high fived each other. Zoey felt like she had never been happier. For once, they were moving forward.

"Open the garage door," Bill told Louis, who held the switch.

He flicked it on, and the sound of the door opened would attract zombies. But they knew zombies would not be able to take down a tank.

"How do you know where to go?" Dakota asked Bill.

"Just trust me." Bill replied.

Zoey sat against the wall, cradling her gun in her lap as she felt the vehicle moving. It ran over a few bumps, which she supposed were zombies. It wasn't exactly a smooth ride, but it was better than any car she's been in. It was a _tank_.

She was practically flowing in excitement.

"Well guys," Louis said, grinning, "tomorrow, we might sleep in warm beds. We might have cooked meals. We might be away from zombies. We might have to never shoot a gun again. Tomorrow, we'll be _safe_."

_Safe_.

Truly safe. Not just momentarily, but safe, like before this all happened.

Zoey felt a tear trickle down her cheek and she wiped it away. Dakota reached over to grab her hand, interlacing their fingers as he smiled fondly down at her through the hood. Zoey smiled at him, not bothering to hide the tears of pure joy that fell down her cheeks.

"Now," Bill grunted, "let's blow this joint."

* * *

><p>AN: Whew! Okay guys, I know I haven't updated in awhile. I'm not going to bother saying an excuse because it wouldn't help x) ANYWAY, I must warn all of you, the next chapter will be the last of _Prey_. I know. Sad, yes? However, I'll add an epilogue at the end for you, an extra chapter :D I don't know about doing a sequel or not, but when I decide, I'll let you all know. :D Thank you all for the wonderful reviews, and thank you all for being patient xD ALSO, I know this chapter was pathetic. There was barely any smut D: but the next few will have SO MUCH SMUT THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE DROWNED IN IT! Haha just kidding^^ but there will be more! I promise.

Erin: Hey! I'm so happy you got into it :D Awesome job, girl! I hope you like this chapter :3


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